January 25, 2019, 12:34 pm.

Even as the tower comes crashing down, I activate teleport, skimming down the side of the tower. It's a little tricky to manage, but I'm able to purposely appear roughly a metre above the tower. Not that I'm travelling along its surface long. As I near the bottom, I teleport to the furthest point I can reach.

Changing orientations is somehow worse than rocketing towards the ground, the sudden change in gravity nearly causing me to crash into the nearby building. Note to self, change directions then teleport. Adjusting course, I start picking out the next landmark inside accelerated time. While I'm doing that, another piece of falling building appears ahead. It's eerie to watch, the car-sized block, ponderous as molasses as it slowly collapses the roof of a nearby cabin. Then I'm beyond it, my next target in sight.

Despite the obstacles, I'm able to cross the entire distance to the inn in less than two real-time seconds.

Teleportation with flight is Awesome!

When I reach the Falcon's Catch, I grab the edge of the roof, flipping over like I imagine Rufka would. By using wind magic to guide my efforts, I'm able to make it smooth. Too bad there's no one to see it. Wasted coolness.

Right. Emergency.

Without hitting the ground, I barge inside. Herv isn't on his beanbag, so I head straight for Roberts and Demo's rooms. When I round the corner, I find Herv's already taken Roberts into his arms while Demo is on a pair of crutches behind them. Herv acknowledges me with a grunt, gesturing to Demo as he calmly strolls past me, Roberts slung over his shoulder.

"Good to see yeh. I take it shopping wasn't as smooth as yeh were hop…. eep," Demo starts as I lift him in the air with my wind magic.

"No time," I inform him, turning back. Herv's already out front by the time I catch up. I start to lift Roberts, same as I've got Demo, but Herv waves me off.

"He's a guest. I'll take care of him. Let's just get out of here," Herv grumbles while looking at another piece of the ruined tower.

Nodding, I watch him take off while I follow his gaze, glancing at the tower. It's looking worse than it was seconds earlier.

Despite all his feathers, Herv's flying looks the same as mine, completely magical. It's a little disappointing. As we launch ourselves into the air, I connect to Beth. "Herv is here. We've got Roberts and Demo."

"Good job kid. Now get the hell out of there. Goddamnit, I wish I knew where Josh was," the last part is mumbled under her breath, but still comes through the connection clearly.

"Yeah. Me too. We'll find him but first…" I don't finish speaking because I'm distracted by having to dodge another piece of collapsing tower. Good thing I'm keeping my eye on the sky.

"Agreed. Get clear. We'll find him after this is over," Beth instructs me. I'm about to leave with Demo when I notice Pefe looking around in a panic down the street. Flying over to her, I don't ask before hoisting her into the air beside us.

"Ack. What? Why are we flying? What's going on? Miss Alexis?" she gasps out.

"Disruption in management," I explain, pointing up to the tower above us before slipping into accelerated time. I'm about to rescue another K'tharn when they turn, slinging several lightning arrows at us. Deciding they can take care of themselves; I spend a considerable chunk of mana conjuring an earthen shield while booking it. Looking around, I notice there's outright fighting in the streets as the tower continues to crash down.

Am I the only one who thinks this is a bad time to be fighting?

Most of the K'tharn aren't fighting. There are entire groups who are running together away from the tower. Most are fast enough to escape, but several are rushing the wrong way and there's even one K'tharn who continues strolling along completely unconcerned.

The incongruity almost inspires me to investigate, but instead, I fly far outside the local area. I don't stop until we're over the nearby plains, where Beth suggests we gather. Without IFF it takes us nearly a minute of constant communication to find each other. There are a lot of flying K'tharn out here. So much for the rules against it. At least we're not the only ones.

While we're finding each other, the tower continues to shake and groan.

Not long after I've found Beth and Tipan, Herv reminds me that Roberts is still unconscious in his arms.

Reunited, we fly further afield, ensuring we've got plenty of space between us and the tower. And anything that might come out of the tower for that matter. We all look back at it as it refuses to collapse. Then as if our combined attention is the final straw, something snaps, sending a visible wave echoing through the air.

Despite our distance, the thundering boom still sends us reeling further away.

"I hope yeh found what we need. I imagine the market's going to be closed for a bit," Demo observes as I set him down next to Pefe.

"Nah. I'm sure they'll have it up and running by tomorrow," I reply, laying the sarcasm on as thick as possible.

"Ha! Somehow, I doubt it, kid. Tipan did you want to take a crack at Roberts?" Beth asks, glancing back towards the stump of the tower while idly stroking her belt pouch. The belt pouch where she has the figurine of Josh tucked away.

"Of course. Can you set him down here?" Tipan requests. Herv just grunts but is surprisingly gentle as he lays Roberts at Tipan's feet. It occurs to me that I could've created a table for them to use, but I don't want to interrupt Tipan's efforts.

Not that I'm able to see what she's doing, other than holding her hand against his forehead. But nearly a minute after she's started, Roberts shifts. With a groan, Roberts opens his eyes to find me, Tipan and Beth crowded around him.

"That bad, huh?" he asks with a small cough before sitting up.

I squeeze his shoulder as Beth responds, "Yeah. Pretty bad. You okay?"

"I think so. Mostly. One second," Roberts closes his eyes. He sits like that for several seconds, then the tightness in his face disappears.

"It would appear I had mana-shock and a concussion. How's everyone else? Does anyone need help?" Roberts asks, searching our surroundings, causing me to smile.

"Kid's hurt, Demo's short a leg and Josh is missing. So, not exactly peaches and sunshine," Beth informs him, causing my smile to collapse into a frown. "Let's take care of Alexis first. Hopefully, she'll be able to find Josh once she's healed."

Even as he reaches to me, I'm hesitant to put my hand in his. This time it has nothing to do with Roberts.

I'm worried I've lost my connection to Rufka.

Probably not the most important concern, considering everything that's happening, but it's still on my mind. Doesn't stop me from giving him my hand, it just delays me for a second.

As Roberts takes my recently dust-covered hand in his, I feel the familiar wave of his healing wash over me, my health returning to full in seconds. Then I feel the haze, the one that's been wrapped around my head like a crown, dissipate. Unfortunately, it's as I feared. My connection to Rufka is gone. My connection to everyone is gone.

"I believe that should do it," Roberts notes as he releases my hand before turning to consider Demo.

"Well, kid? What's your sense saying?" Beth asks as she steps closer.

"One second. It's been reset," I answer as I start making adjustments.

Luckily, the others are still in my party, so I'm able to connect to them immediately. When I do, awareness of their locations blossoms comfortably, like the summer sun peeking through the clouds. Funny how comforting feeling everyone's proximity has become.

There's a weird resistance when I attempt to connect to Josh. It feels like I'm trying to push through purple jello with a green balloon animal.

I'm not certain, but it feels as though there's something attempting to block the connection. So, I reinforce my attempt, drawing freely from my facet and focus pools.

In response, the connection snaps into place. It's so sudden, I stumble from the sudden lack of resistance, even though it was only mental. Once I've recovered, I know his direction. It's pointing straight at Beth.

Well, that's not what we wanted. Damn. Now I'm even happier we've got Roberts back on his feet. We're probably going to need him.

"I think… I think that Josh might…" I cut myself off as Beth steps closer, shifting to my right. When she moved, my sense of Josh didn't follow her. It's still pointed the same direction, somewhere to the northeast. It's not pointing to Beth.

More importantly, it's not pointing to the wooden figurine. Yay?

"Uhm. Nevermind. He's that way," I point with a shrug.

Beth pulls me in for a one-armed hug, "I knew that doll wasn't him. Just didn't feel right."

Now that I'm able to detect his presence with my mind again, I guess I kind of do know. That's probably not what Beth's talking about. Hehe.

"Yeah," I respond anyway, turning to regard where Roberts is still inspecting Demo. Whose leg is still cloth.

"No luck?" I ask, joining them.

"Nope," Demo responds cheerily, his toothpick snapping with the force of his grin. He sighs, drawing another toothpick while Roberts continues.

"Told ya. Best if you just cut it off then grow a new one," Herv comments, startling me. I'd actually forgotten he was here.

"That seems rather extreme. Especially given that I've only had a few moments to inspect his injury," Roberts responds, his voice flat as he shoos us away.

Herv grunts as we move away, Roberts calling out, "Tipan, can you answer some questions?"

Tipan waves in acknowledgement from where she and Beth were talking, striding past as we join Beth and Pefe.

"What are we going to do?" Pefe whines, drawing my attention back to the tower. It's completely stable at this point, nothing left other than the stump. The remains of the upper portion of the tower are strewn all the way through the Aetherium complex, stretching past the north end of the settlement.

"I'm not sure about you, but we have a friend to rescue. All this," Beth waves her hand back at Glimmering Sands, "isn't as important as getting him back."

"For you. We have friends and family here. And, what's left of our homes," Herv points out.

"Yes. And I imagine you'll want to see them just like we want to see Josh. Thank you for bringing Roberts, but we're going to be on our way shortly," she decides.

At this, I glance over at Roberts, Tipan and Demo. Demo's still down a leg but Roberts is getting him to walk between him and Tipan. I'm not certain, but it seems like Demo's putting weight on his leg.

"Hmm," Herv rumbles in response. Pefe continues to wring her hands while pacing back and forth, her eyes locked on the greatly diminished tower. "I'm going back. Can I offer you a ride Lamew?"

"Yes. Please," Pefe confirms, halting her pacing as she nods deeply. Then glancing over at me, she adds, "Thank you for getting me out, Alexis."

I wave it off as nothing as we make our goodbyes. Moments later they're in the air as Roberts pronounces the results of his inspection. "I believe I can restore Demo's leg but it's going to take time. I need a better understanding of his physiology first."

"Kid, can you share a codex?" Beth asks, her fiery hair blocking my view of her face since she's still staring in Josh's direction.

"I never got one for Phothens. Just for the Phothen Exploriat, whatever that is," I answer with a half-smile for Demo.

"It's the organization we operate under after we leave our world-ships," Demo explains, staring at me intensely. "I can't help but wonder what the system has to say about us."

"Not sure about the codex but my analysis says Phothen are explorers who prefer peace. It also implies you like your privacy," I reply after a quick review of his original analysis.

"About as detailed as what I received when I scanned yeh," Demo admits while taking another step on his stiffened cloth leg.

"I think this might work," he adds, speaking to Roberts as he bounces on the leg slightly.

"Good. It's probably not as good as if you were skilled with Metal but hopefully, it shouldn't take much to keep it reinforced with ice," Roberts affirms, nodding.

"Real trick is going to be getting it to work with my boots," Demo remarks. A second later he fires off an experimental blast, his brows furrowed in concentration.

It's uneven but after a minute of practice, he's able to get himself under control.

While he's doing that, Beth retrieves her glider.

When she prepares to fly away from Glimmering Sands, Roberts speaks up. "Where are you going?"

"Alexis said Josh is that way," Beth answers, pointing in a direction that's almost accurate.

"There may be people who need our help," Roberts states, pointing to the shattered tower.

"They're probably okay. The system should protect them from most of the worst of it. And for those, it doesn't. Well," Tipan pauses, rubbing at her eyes, "It's too late for them now."

"Like Tipan said. And there's not much we can do if Ivicka's there. We had a hard enough time dealing with a pack of dolls! And it's turning into a war zone back there," Beth shakes her head as she answers. As if to emphasize her point several cabins collapse in the distance, a vague figure rising from the wreckage.

"But shouldn't we help? What if it was the Aetherium who took Josh?" I ask, the figure disappearing as more buildings explode.

"What if they did? Why leave the doll? And how did they get it in the first place? No, it doesn't make sense. But neither does this. I was expecting us to need to go into the Aetherium fortress to retrieve him. Now? Now, I don't know what's going on," Beth admits.

"Speaking of the Aetherium, we have company," Tipan notes, staring into the sky, causing us to follow her gaze.

Flying towards us, alone but nonetheless a force to be reckoned with, is Asterix.

"We'll talk about this later. Let's fly people," Beth commands. This time, we're in the air immediately, flying away from the enormous dragon.

When we first spotted him, he was approaching us slowly, his emerald wings cutting through the air with measured strokes. When he notices us flying away from him, he accelerates, soaring forward.

In just a few short moments he halves the distance between us.

"Looks like it's not going to be easy," Beth calls out. "kid, let's try Draco two."

Thinking back, I try to remember which plan was Draco two. Beth had a bunch of ideas for working as a group but we didn't get much of a chance to sort them out properly. Especially since she kept revising them. I fly into position, away from the others. We haven't had the opportunity to practice the maneuver, but if I remember correctly, the idea is to use my mobility to confuse the dragon while the others attempt to injure him enough we can escape.

Or if we get really lucky, possibly take him out.

Pretty sure, I'm still supposed to get a few shots in, but given how fragile I am, Beth wants me to focus my attention on keeping his attention and avoidance.

Asterix complies with our plan, such as it is, focusing solely on me as we split up.

The pair of flame and lightning torrents I tossed in his direction might have had something to do with his choice.

Even as he gets closer, I teleport away, ensuring he's only at the outer edge of my range. Not that I'm able to hit him with anything at this range. He's too fast, dodging out of the way with a flick of his wings.

The fact he doesn't just tank his way through my spells is kind of reassuring. I'm sure Ivicka wouldn't bother dodging.

He continues chasing me for another few seconds, his roar sounding closer as I slip away through another port. His roar cuts out, changing to more of a whine a second later. Turning back, I see that he's spinning in place, trying to dodge the near-invisible projectiles that are tearing holes in his wings.

I can make out the others in the distance but Beth's nowhere to be seen. As yet another hole appears in his wing, Asterix unleashes a gout of emerald flame.

Invisible as she was, Asterix was able to work out Beth's location, her form suddenly wreathed in flame. Her glider disintegrates as she falls from the sky.

On the plus side, he's so focused on Beth, he's forgotten me.

Using the latest trick in my toolkit, I disappear.

I don't just go invisible, I teleport closer, appearing directly under them. Then I pause time. Not exactly according to plan, but then neither was Beth getting caught out.

First objective: catch Beth. Giving the still crackling flames, water's the best choice. I almost drown her in the, relatively gentle, conjured torrent. Once it's in place, I turn my attention away, knowing I'll have plenty of time to catch up with her.

Now that I've bought Beth time, and with Asterix distracted, I set up a crossfire of torrents, arrows and disks, mixing the elements to hopefully maximize the effect of Elemental Cascade. My spells start crossing the intervening space, the first starting to land before I've finished casting the last.

Then, right as pause is about to expire, I fly out from under him, snagging Beth from my impromptu waterspout.

The resulting maelstrom turns out to be effective, the dragon is only held aloft by the pure fury of the assault, its body wracked by over two dozen different spells before plummeting to the ground.

I'm about to follow him down to ensure I've finished the job when Tipan calls out. Roberts is fending off several attackers with his shields while Demo freezes them in place and Tipan shatters them. But that doesn't seem to be her concern. I'm not able to understand her words, but she's pointing back at Glimmering Sands. Behind us, I spot the familiar shape of Aetherium gliders moving towards us. There's over a hundred of them.

Thankfully, they're a lot slower than we are. Without Asterix, they'll have no chance of catching us. And our brief encounter with Kristha proved that they're not all like Ivicka. Sparing one last glance for the ruins of Glimmering Sands in the distance, I reach into my pocket to pet Smoulder as we join the others who've dealt with their attackers. More Fallen lie broken beneath their feet, their essence collected with nary a thought.

Looking down at Beth's unconscious body, I sigh. I don't know what Ivicka's after, but Beth's right. We're still not ready.

For now, we'll find Josh.

And then we'll find a way to stop her.