Lost

He stood in the shadow of a copse of trees, staring at the capital. Fen stood next to him, looking at the massive wall that surrounded the entire city. The rabbit skeleton hid between his feet, concealed in his cloak.

“God damnit,” Lost cursed, looking at the gates into the city and the wall.

The sun was obscured by thick, dark rain clouds threatening to spill their load.

“How are we supposed to get in?” Fen asked worried, looking at the gates. Very few people were entering and exiting. Many staying indoors, anticipating the coming rain.

“We’re not,” Lost said, scanning the entire length of the wall. They were standing outside the town that was pressed to the walls of the city, the gate still clear from where they stood. “We can’t scale the walls, their too high. We can’t sneak past the guards, there are too many of them. We can’t pay for a caravan to smuggle us in, we don’t have enough. The walls are constantly under watch. It’s a damned fortress.”

“I don’t think we can get in,” Fen said, dejected. She glanced at him, but Lost kept staring at the walls intently.

Lost thought that he knew roughly where Valcrest was built.

A devilish grin curled along his lips. “Oh, we most definitely can get in.”

********

The door of the crashed inward, shattering into a few pieces of stone with a boom. Lost peered through the crypt doorway, looking down the stairs the led into the dark.

He stepped through the doorway and around the pieces of the former door. Fen dutifully followed him and the skeleton rabbit followed her, quietly creaking.

“Ignis,” Lost said, holding out him palm. It burst into flames. Then he proceeded into the darkness, following the stairway downwards.

It had taken him a couple of hours, but he had eventually found a noble’s graveyard outside the city. Or at least a rich family's one that corresponded with the date he was looking for.

Fen cautiously followed behind him, peering into the dusty abyss ahead of them. She had her hood up, hiding her wolf ears.

They soon found themselves at the base of the stairs. Lost didn't even blink at the spacious alcoves with coffins in them. He scanned the crypt, his eye’s alighting on what he wanted.

He walked over to the old, brittle wooden door in the wall, his footprints being left in the dust.

“What are we doing here, Mr. Lost?” Fen asked, coming up behind him.

“I told you not to call me that, kid.” Lost grumbled under his breath as he pushed the door open.

On the other side was a dark hallway, but this one was ancient. With crumbling and cracked bricks. Cobwebs lined the hallway.

“Where is this?” Fen asked, peered out from behind Lost.

“The ancient Fae city of Ebora. Or at least the underground.” Lost said, looking back at Fen.

“Fae?” She looked at him with curiosity.

“Giants,” Lost said simply. When he saw that his answer didn't satisfy Fen’s curiosity, he heaved a heavy sigh. “The elves, humans and dwarfs predecessors. They were a race of tall, horned beings. Not much is, or was, known about them. They just vanished and left their cities to fall into ruin. No one knows what happened to them. But we do know most of their language and some of their culture and history.

“Sometime after they vanished, our current day races appeared and ventured into the Fae’s ruins. There they discovered ancient and powerful magic artifacts. Blahdy, blahdy, blah. That’s why many wizards started fighting and eventually flow blown war broke out over who got which artifact. And then all of the preceding wizard wars aswell were fought over ancient technology.” Lost finished with a sigh.

“Wizard wars?” Fen asked him excited. “Are you a wizard?”

Lost chuckled at that and shook his head. “The correct term for the wars was, ‘The Great Wizard War.’ And, no I am not a wizard. Just a magic user. A mage. There can’t be anymore wizards, they were descended from dragons. Plus, they killed each other even before everything I did.”

“Everything you did?” Fen asked him.

Lost shook his head, “It’s not important. But since we are on the topic, do you remember what I said when we first met?”

Fen thought for a moment, then responded cheerily, “Something having to do with lists of buckets and a game about poking people.”

“HAHAHAHA,” Lost laughed hard. When he had composed himself enough to speak he shook his head back and forth. “I guess I did say those things, but that's not what I’m talking about. I asked you if you knew what you were.”

“I know what I am. I’m a wolf beastwoman.”

“Beastwoman. Hah! Yeah right!” Lost snorted. “You aren’t wrong. But do you know how your race was created?”

Fen looked at him confusedly. “Created?”

“Well did you think a mashup of human and animal was natural?”

Fen looked at him, contemplating, “I… never really thought about it before.”

“Beastmen were created by wizards in the Third Great Wizard war, the last one. You were created to be their magical, unquestioning, loyal soldiers. I don’t know exactly what the wizards did, but I know that many of them used ancient, and modern, magic to create beastmen. They wanted troops that could grow quickly and didn’t question their authority.

The reason for such diversity in beastmen, instead of just one type of animal, is the fact that the wizards combined different animals to allow their troops the power of magic. Bear beastmen are skilled in body strengthening magic with a little earth. Bird beastmen are skilled in air magic. Take yourself for example, you have power of water magic and some limited light magic to make illusions. Wizards made these types of beastmen, each for a specific purpose and type of magic.

Eventually, when the wizards had killed each other off, the beastmen were set free. Because of the many territories each wizard had control of, your kind were already widespread. You settled down and started new lives, many becoming peaceful.” Lost finished his spiel, tired of talking.

“So, I’m not natural?” Fen asked, worried.

“Don’t worry. Yes, you’re not natural, but that doesn't not make you a person. One could even say you have an advantage over other races in magic. After all you were created from it and have it inherently running through your veins.”

Fen smiled and nodded. “What are we going to do now?”

Lost looked back at the hallway and shivered, “Hopefully not get lost in the tunnels.”

“Oh.”

Lost pushed Fen forward, saying, “You can go first!”

“What?! Why me?” Fen yelled, jumping back from the doorway.

Lost took on a solemn tone, “Listen here kid, you go first because…”

“Because?” Fen asked indignantly.

“Cause… Ladies first! Hah! Yes! Now go forth and be brave!”

“You said I wasn't a lady, but just a little girl.” Fen pointed out without hesitation.

Lost put a strained grin on and grumbled through his teeth, “Why don’t you just walk into the hallway? Why? I’m not dealing with all those damned spiders. Just go…”

Fen’s face got increasingly redder. And it most definitely wasn't embarrassment. Then it went back to it’s usually hue, her eyes winding in understanding.

“You're scared of spiders!” She said in a teasing voice, dancing a little jig of victory.

“No…” Lost said all but convincingly.

“Yes! You are! Hahaha!”

Lost sighed, “Fine, you got me. You have won this one, kid. But be forewarned I’m going to get you back for this, gonna get you back real good.”

“I won! I won! You're afraid of spiders! HaHA!”

“Now don’t get too big for your britches, kid.” Lost pointed his finger at the hallway, ordering the skeletal rabbit ahead and to find the nearest exit into the city. The undead rodent scampered ahead, staying a good 10 feet in front of them. Lost didn’t want to get caught in any left over traps.

“Wouldn’t the city guard close off any passages into the city?” Fen asked as she followed him.

“Yes. They would have. But I’m willing to bet that some of them were opened by thieves, smugglers and other criminals. I’m also willing to bet many of the city guard that are supposed to check if the tunnels are closed dont. They are paid to say that they are.”

“Oh.” Fen said, looking ahead.

Lost swept the cobwebs with his hand, burning through them. He made extra sure that none got on his clothes or even near him.

“As Shakespeare once said, ‘Once more unto the breach!’” Lost spoke out loud, the quote coming to his mind.

“Who was Shakespeare and why’d he say that?” Fen asked, looking up at Lost.

He could only sigh, “You know you ask a lot questions, right?”

Fen puffed out her cheeks, “No, I do not!”

Lost only responded with a raised eyebrow and a, “Really?”

“It’s just that you say such strange things that make no sense! I can’t help being curious!” Fen said with aggravation in her voice.

“Shakespeare was a play writer where I come from. A famous one. He was known for his incredibly complex and hard to understand plot and speech. Frankly, I can’t remember another dang thing about him, only that his writing was confusing as hell.”

“Why would hell be confusing?”

“Gah! Stop asking questions!” Lost said, exasperated.

“Mhmp,” Fen said, falling silent.

They slowly made their way through the tunnels. As they made their way, following the skeleton rabbit, Fen made a disgusted sound and pinched her nose.

“What is that smell?” She asked as they rounded a corner, pinching her nose.

“Well, you see kid. We are in the bowels of the city, quite literally. So it's a given that there is going to be sewage.” Lost said matter of factly. He was unfazed by the smell. His only thought, ‘I have smelled much worse.’

A river of sewage ran down farther into the city, small bridges spanning over to both sides intermittently.

The skeleton rabbit crossed over the nearest bridge and proceeded to follow the current. Lost followed with a reluctant Fen.

They walked through the many underground tunnels. They passed through old forgotten sections and newer ones used as sewers. The rabbit turned up a set of stairs. Lost followed it, making sure that there weren’t any webs.

The stairs had footprints on them, formed in the ancient dust. This place had been used recently.

Lost entered into a small square room, crates stacked up against the walls. He ordered the skeleton to stop.

Lost moved over to one of the crates.

“Now why would you have people going in and out of a storage area through the underground?” Lost thought out loud quietly.

He unsheathed his sword, putting the tip of it in between the nailed lid and the crate. He wedged it and popped the lid of with some help of mana infused strength. Lifting the lid off, he was confronted with a large amount of small glass bottles. Inside every bottle was a crystallized powder.

Curious, Lost sheathed his sword and picked one up in his non burning hand. He held it up to the fire, inspecting it. The crystals were crushed to a fine powder and stoppered in with a cork. A label on the side of the bottle simply read:

Fairy Dust

‘Maybe it's some type of salt? But why keep it down here?’ Lost thought. He unstoppered the bottle.

“You don’t want to do that, Mr. Lost.” Fen warned him.

He turned to look at her. “I told you not to call me Mister. Why wouldn’t I?”

Fen thought for a second, looking at the bottle. “Its… um… I don’t know how to describe it.... It makes you see things and feel strange.”

With that vague statement, Lost restopperded the bottle. He thought for a moment, then activated his meditation.

The world was lit by brown, black, and white lights. But the color that stood out the most to Lost was from what the bottles contained.

It was a dull amber color, much like when he pushed mana into the runes on his sword. It was more muted though, mixed in with specks of blue, brown and white.

Shutting off his mana sight, Lost looked at the bottle even more intently.

“So, it’s like a drug? Combined with powdered mana crystals and some other plant?” He asked, looking at the wolf girl.

“Drug?”

“Something that makes you see things and feel… odd. It can influence your decisions and thoughts. It makes you want more.”

“Yeah. Something like that. I have seen people eating it and they act really weird. Some lose their minds for it.” Fen said, looking at the powder apprehensively.

Lost pondered the substance. Fairy Dust.

So it was like a drug. But how could someone have gotten mana crystals, much less on this level? This amount of pure magic wouldn’t be too harmful to a person, probably flooding their senses and enhancing them for a bit. It could probably be addicting, but also damaging. Though, with the more you consumed, the worse the backlash of raw mana, if an extremely large quantity was consumed it could kill you. The other ingredients probably dealt with the hallucinations and addiction. Not to mention the side effects from pure mana exposure.

“When did this ‘Fairy Dust’ start to appear, kid?” Lost asked Fen as he put three of the bottles in his pouch with the food.

Fen thought about it for a minute. “Maybe 3 or 2 years ago? I’m not sure, but it isn’t very common. I have never seen this much before.”

Lost nodded slowly.

It was possible that a few mana crystals could have formed over the time magic slowly started to seep back into the world. But on this scale and just a few weeks after it was fully released? No, it just wasn't possible.

There had been large crystals of mana where he had reawakened, but they were in the human kingdom. Them, how did it get here, though?

Lost had a sneaking suspicion that his sister had something to do with it. He wouldn’t put it past her to start weakening a kingdom by getting it addicted to drugs.

That's how the British won Hong Kong from the Chinese, securing land and trade rights in the Opium War.

He inspected the crates for any markings and to his surprise, he found one. It was in the bottom left corner on every crate. It was tiny, barely noticeable.

Lost didn’t know what it meant, but he decided to keep an eye out for the symbol.

“Alright, kid. Let's get out of this gloomy place.” He walked over and commanded the rabbit skeleton to go up the stairs. Lost and Fen followed it a few feet behind.