Reaching the Spring

‘You know, I thought travel in some fantasy world would be a bit more interesting than a bus ride,’ John thought as they waited to board an, admittedly, very impressive looking bus. It was crafted in what he would call a steampunk-like style. It was composed entirely of copper, or at least a material that looked like it, and covered in decorative swirling engravings. John was slightly hesitant to use Observe, not wanting to risk garnering any attention. Which, given that most of their party towered over the rest of the loose queue, wasn’t going over well.

‘At least everyone’s well dressed,’ Senka remarked. ‘Think there’d be more stares and questions if Lynn or Barbara were wearing what they had been.’

‘What are you talking about? The red coat and neon pink accented black jacket would have matched perfectly with the rest of us,’ John joked. A part of him wondered how Argent Echo managed to work in Detreye given the eye-catching outfits Aria and Barbara wore.

‘I guess they did do more underground work. Not the sort of stuff that would have them out and about,’ John thought. ‘And I’m wondering if they had clothes on hand for situations like this?’

‘I suppose that makes sense,’ Senka replied. ‘Or at least had an established way to procure appropriate attire. Both speak to at least being prepared for curveballs.’

John hummed in agreement, his eyes drifting over to the two women that had become the focus of their conversation, both at the front of the group. Lynn had the smallest change, simply leaving her coat back at the lab and donning a long sleeved dress shirt instead of the sleeveless one she wore before. Barbara, in contrast, had to change up her whole look, swapping her jacket and skirt for a simple black dress that John thought was more appropriate for a funeral than an office. And she did not look like she enjoyed being brought along, her gaze locked on the bus like she wanted to melt it with the power of her mind, her arms crossed under her bust.

It was a far cry from how animated she had become when Aria 'volunteered’ her for their spot on the trip. Barbara fought the placement, or at least that’s what John thought she was doing, as the moment she opened her mouth, all sound around her and Aria vanished, leaving the rest of them to watch the silent movie playing out before them.

Aria had remained unnervingly calm in her seat while Barbara shot out of hers and began to silently pace in front of the silver mage, arms moving in time with her silent mouth, her pale face growing red. Off to the side, Aziza remained impassive, like this was something that had happened at least a few times before. Even Piper didn’t look fazed, but was paying close attention to the interplay between her two superiors.

This argument lasted for a few minutes, during which Martius tried to regain control of things, to no avail. Thankfully for the gnome’s blood pressure, the anti-sound zone fell before he could reach critical frustration and Aria announced that Barbara was ready to go.

The silver haired girl only looked to begrudgingly accept things and she huffed as she went to change her clothes.

John was taken out of his recollection as Kiera lightly bumped into him, the timid woman pushed into him by someone behind them.

“S-sorry,” she muttered, eyes firmly affixed on the ground.

“That’s nothing you need to apologize for,” John said softly, smiling down at her. He noticed she was fidgeting something fierce, her body tense. “You holding up all right?”

“There’s a lot of people around,” the bluenette quietly said. “It’s a bit much. I think with everything that happened, my magic’s a bit different than it was.”

“Really?” John asked, curiosity piqued.

Kiera nodded. “It’s a little h-hard to put into words, but before, I think I had to t-touch people to feel their aura, but now it’s easier to make them out a little bit away. It’s a bit loud.”

“Is it painful?” came John’s concerned question. After everything that had happened, especially yesterday’s event, he found himself a little protective of Kiera.

Kiera shook her head after a moment of thought. “It’s more just noise. Like everyone around us is talking twice as much. I don’t understand any of it. I think I still need to touch someone to really draw on them.”

‘I wonder if focusing on one person would help her ignore the background noise,’ Senka mused. Kiera’s head tilted cutely, her eyes looking at John with curiosity. When John caught her gaze, she flinched away, her face turning red.

“Is there something on my face?” John asked.

“N-no,” Kiera stuttered out. “It’s just your aura fluctuates a bit and kind of bleeds into, um, Senka’s sometimes. Um, you do telepathically talk to her, right?”

“Yeah,” John confirmed. More quietly, he asked, “Is it that noticeable?”

“To me it is,” Kiera muttered. “I don’t know how much more I can see than other people, or if this is something new, but it isn’t something that shows up in mana, I think.”

‘I do wonder how much she’s getting from our conversation?’ Senka thought. ‘Ask her that.’

“Did you get anything from that?” John did as the spirit wanted, just as eager as she was to gauge the particulars of Kiera’s insight.

“Umm, just a bit,” Kiera replied hesitantly. “It’s hard to put into words just what it is I’m feeling. Sorry.”

“Hey, it’s no big deal,” John assured her, gently placing his hand on her shoulder. It occurred to John that such a simple gesture would have been vastly out of character for him a week ago, and he found himself smiling as he considered how much he had developed.

Kiera flushed profusely at John’s touch, but made no attempt to remove John’s hand. A gnomish voice rang over the crowd before it began to move towards the bus.

“Ah, finally,” Martius remarked as he strode forward. “Come along now.”

“Did they give any reason for the hold up?” Lynn asked as the rest of them followed the gnome.

“Do any travel systems divulge the reason for their delays?” Martius rhetorically remarked. “No, just the usual platitudes. At least it wasn’t too much of a wait.”

“Let’s hope the trip is free of any further issues,” Harker said as he steadily walked to the entrance of the bus, each step measured. The walk through the city to the travel station hadn’t left him in a worse state, something Lynn had remarked as being a good sign that his recovery was progressing smoothly.

John, Kiera and Barbara made up the rear of their group, the twintailed girl the last to board the bus, her face still an annoyed mask. The interior was immaculately clean and it felt more like walking into a fancy restaurant. A fancy restaurant that was smaller on one side.

The right side of the bus had seating in scale with the general, gnomish population. The left, in contrast, held larger seats clearly geared for human sized patrons. Martius gestured for them to take those seats, near the back of the bus, while he took a seat next to them on the right side. Barbara brushed past John and Kiera and sullenly plopped down behind where Lynn and Harker had claimed.

John turned to Kiera and gestured to the seat in front of the alchemist and sanguimancer and said, “Guess this is us then. Would you like the window seat?”

Kiera nodded shyly and slid into the seat, John following a second later. He watched Kiera’s hands play with the hem of her shirt for a moment before he closed his eyes, not wanting to stress her out.

In the solitude of his thoughts, John wondered how the others were going to pass the day. Martius' estimations had them need around an hour and a half to reach the springs and only an hour to soak in them. That was four hours alone, not factoring in any waiting time or unforeseen complications.

'I don't know why I'm feeling a bit apprehensive about this. They know enough to not go and break things. Right?'

Beth let out a groan as she stomped away from Piper, the green haired woman's dismissive smile getting under her skin.

"I told you going to her wasn't going to work," Aeolia said from her spot on Beth's shoulder. "And it isn't like we need her to spill what she knows. We already have all the info we need."

"That isn't the point, Ae," Beth whined.

"Then what is, princess?" Aeolia pressed. "It's not like we need to actually be on the lookout for this Hawthorne chick. Not right now at least. And probably not ever, since I doubt you and John are going to go back to school."

"It's just annoying that she goes about eighty-five percent of the way to telling us then plays all, 'sorry, can't give up who's paying me,’" Beth groused. "It's like having a puzzle and missing the last few pieces. Sure, you've got the picture already, but you don't get the satisfaction of finishing it."

"Just try to ignore it," Aeolia suggested. "Are we going anywhere in particular?"

Beth shrugged, "Not really. It's not like there's anything for us to do here. I’m not skipping school just so I can read stuff, even if it could be more interesting than whatever verb tenses are. We can leave that to Vi.”

“Can’t argue with that,” Aeolia said as Beth's steps brought them into the central hub of the lab. "Not a lot of stuff we can do that we'd like. Can't exactly fly or spar cooped up in here."

"Someone say spar?" Aria’s voice floated over to them as she entered the space from another passage. "Been a while since I've had someone to practice against. You good with swords?"

"Not my favorite weapon, but passable," Aeolia answered. "Not that it really matters. Don't got the gear or the place to do it."

"If we had somewhere to spar, I could supply us the blades," Aria said with a sigh. With a snap of her wrist, silver threads began to weave into a sword. Once it was done, the smuggler gave it a few swings. "Perfectly balanced and blunt. If Martius had the space, we could…"

She trailed off as she stared at Aeolia. Out of the corner of her eye, Beth could see her winged girlfriend begin to smile.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Aeolia asked.

"I think I am," Aria replied, a twinkle in her excited eyes.

"Yeah, I'm an idiot so I don't get it," Beth slightly grumbled, prompting Aeolia to playfully flick the side of her head. "Ouch!"

"None of that, princess," Aeolia chided her. "The idea is for me to shrink us down so this space would be more than big enough for a spar."

"'Us'?" Aria repeated, her head cocked to one side, eyes on Beth. "You got experience with swords?"

"Not really," Beth answered, recalling the little use she got out of the blade she borrowed from John. "Kind of trying to find the right sort of weapon to use right now."

Aria hummed then lobbed the sword she made at Beth, who easily plucked it from the air. Beth expected the handle to be smooth, but it was textured enough for her to comfortably hold without needing to overly squeeze or use her abilities. She gave it a few swings, liking the feel of it.

“Pretty good, right?” Aria asked. “Feel like taking her for a spin?”

“Anything’s better than just pointlessly wandering around,” Beth replied before grinning at Aria. “I’m game.”

Aria grinned back before she looked back to Aeolia, two more silver swords manifesting in her hands. “Let’s get this show on the road then.”

Vivian slipped out of Martius’ study, somewhat worried that neither Aeolia or Beth had come back.

'It shouldn't have taken that long for them to confront Piper,' she thought. 'It was clear from what John said that she wasn't going to give up that girl's name. Beth being the one to ask about it isn't going to sway her. If it was, she would have sought her out personally instead of being ok with telling John.'

Letting out a sigh, she said aloud, "I hope they haven't tried to explore somewhere locked off."

It wasn't a major concern, she trusted them to not act too unprofessional. But Beth's lack of tact made it so she couldn't completely dismiss such an event happening.

As she walked towards the lab's central hub, she saw Aziza standing in the arched entrance, her back towards her. The horned woman must have detected her approach because she half turned, an exasperated expression on her face.

"If you're trying to cut through here, you're going to have to wait for a bit," Aziza said in a soft but deadpan voice. "There's a bit of a fight going on."

"What are you talking about?" Vivian asked as she drew closer. Aziza only tilted her head into the chamber, beckoning her to see. She hastened her approach, stopping right next to Aziza, a look of stunned exasperation on her face.

Inside the round, empty chamber, Aria and Aeolia advanced on Beth, their silvery blades moving just slow enough for the dark haired girl to deflect, but just barely. They were so engrossed in the fight that they seemed to not notice the giants watching them from the entryway. And oddly, there was no sound, even as blades struck.

“Don’t worry,” Aziza said, turning her attention to Vivian. “Aria made the blades blunt.”

Vivian shook her head and let out a sigh. “I’m not worried about that. Aeolia wouldn’t do anything that put Beth in real danger. I'm more afraid they'll end up breaking something."

"Those concerns were accounted for," Aziza remarked. "At their size and with blunt blades, the sort of damage they could do is limited. Not to mention there isn't much for them to break here."

"Fair points," Vivian admitted. "Can't help but fret over those sorts of things."

"I believe I can relate." Aziza chuckled dryly. "The burden of being the calm brains of the group. At least I only have to deal with Aria’s impulses."

"It's not like they're going around making trouble," Vivian defended her girlfriends' reputations. "But you're a bit right. They are more likely to run in first, come up with a plan second. But I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Neither would I," Aziza said, a curious glint in her red eyes.

“Did you do something to the sound?” Vivian asked, already suspecting she did. What was running through her mind was how she was using Barbara’s magic without her being present.

“I’m sure John relayed what Aria explained about my powers,” Aziza said in response, lifting a hand. Vivian saw a small disk cupped in it, an image of Barbara’s face, looking far more happy than she’d ever seen her, sat within. For a moment, Vivian thought it was just some picture but quickly realized it was a mirror.

“I see you get the idea,” Aziza remarked with a slight smile. “I can’t do anything complex with stored magic, but small applications like this aren't a problem.”

Vivian hummed, her mind beginning to spin. She sorted her thoughts as she watched Beth try to fight Aria and Aeolia. The battle was very one sided, as was expected considering Beth’s lack of experience. Words were silently exchanged and Beth’s stance shifted a bit before another series of attacks came her way.

‘There’s something weird going on,’ she pondered. ‘Why are they being so open? Aziza could have just played it coy, but instead she showed me that she’s not limited to whatever magic is close at hand.’

Vivian’s mind then turned to Piper’s rather quick employment by Argent Echo and couldn’t stop herself from wondering if there was some ploy to ingratiate themselves.

‘But if that’s the case, why not just be direct?’ was a counter argument that sprang up. ‘They had no problem doing that with Piper and Aria doesn’t strike me as the sort to pull overly complex plays like this. Sure, she has to be able to do the sneaky stuff given their line of work, but mind games seem a bridge too far. Then again, we’ve only known her for a day. Maybe I’m just being paranoid.’

Vivian resolved to keep an eye on their underworld allies. She had no desire to become subordinate to them, but an equal partnership could work. Especially if they came across loot that was too good to try and sell over the Auction or could fetch better prices in places it couldn’t or didn’t reach. It was good to have options.

The bus gently lurched to a final stop and the doors swung open.

“Ah, right on schedule,” Martius said as he hopped out of his seat. “We don’t have much time to waste. Let’s go.”

John slid out of his seat and, after a moment of thought, offered a hand to Kiera. The bluenette blushed but took it and John helped her up.

“Thank you,” she shyly muttered, flashing a brief smile to John before he let go and the pair filed out of the bus.

John blinked away the sudden blindness brought on by the bright sun, and once his eyes adjusted he took in the sights. They were before a stone wrought building that John could only compare to something out of Greece or Rome. Decorated columns supported high arches that seemed to be built straight from the russet colored stone, leading deeper into the mountain.

“Let’s not tarry, everyone,” Martius called out, ushering them towards the building. “We only have an hour.”

They strode forward and into the shaded interior. White crystals adorned the walls and ceiling, giving the place a soft light with their glow. While all the other patrons walked to the large desk set along one of the walls, Martius led the party towards a separate room. He showed a guard standing in front of the door a letter, and after a moment of reading, the guard opened the door for them to pass.

“Didn’t realize we’re getting VIP treatment,” Lynn said as they walked down a stony hallway, the sound of running water echoing through it.

“That was always the case,” Martius remarked. “Did none of you find it a bit odd there was a bus line up here and with a number of customers?”

“It did seem to counter your information,” Harker answered. “I’m going to presume while we’re going to get the full treatment, those people are getting sold a placebo.”

“In a way, yes,” Martius admitted. “It’d be more accurate to say they are getting a watered down version of the main spring. Weak enough for constant use.”

The path ended, opening into a large subterranean chamber. Numerous pools of clear and steaming water stretched out, occasionally broken up by pillars of slick stone or thin wall-like partitions. When John stepped into the cave, he was struck by a sudden shift in temperature and humidity, as if he’d opened a door from an air conditioned interior out into the summer afternoon. Everyone else had much the same reaction to the shift in atmosphere.

Mt. Atrus Hot Springs Ambient Effect: Health Regen +5%

“Ah, my apologies,” Martius sheepishly said. “I forgot to mention that.”

“Is there some kind of **** field keeping the heat in?” Lynn asked as she fanned herself.

“A natural one, yes,” Martius explained. “It’s in part how the spring has such a concentration of mana.

“I’m already getting some healing,” John revealed. “Just a little boost.”

“And it should only get stronger once we get in,” Martius said. “Which we should do quickly. Our time began the moment we crossed the threshold. And I’m not keen on finding out what will happen if we overstay our welcome.”

Thanks again for reading this little story. If you liked the chapter, please hit that thumbs up, and if you want to support my writing, check out my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/ScrapCrow. Get access to my chapters before they’re published here and join my private Discord.