[Book II Chapter 3] HOPE: Reaching Ravelin

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Hope closed her book and peered out the port hole. Rolling dunes of golden sands stretched out on all sides, interrupted only by the occasional black tornado of a light funnel. The airship had been sailing over the Sarada desert for ages, and they were a familiar sight. What was new was the vague outlines on the horizon to the north east. Even the curvature of the planet couldn’t hide the upper reaches of Aery.

Hope sighed, glancing down at the tome in her lap. Everyone will be reading more now. Global communications were down, and wristals were limited to whatever was on their local network. To have all that knowledge suddenly ripped away… Hope missed it, and she’d only had access for a couple of weeks. She couldn’t imagine how others were coping.

Residents of the Isle of Dreams had been extremely angry about the loss of warping, the crippling of wristals, and the prospects of a dark age. However, it was the destruction their monument which had engendered the greatest rage. I understand, the Pillar of Enera was iconic, and the Isle feels empty without it.

Thank goodness our deathmatch in the blood arena was recorded. Argent Tobaskus, the head of the Isle Security, had discovered this when investigating. After consulting Astra and Lily, he’d edited out certain footage, such as Dawn’s sublime vagary, and released the rest, including Sion Gale’s confession.

Everyone realizes that, by killing Sion and recovering Kain’s arm, we saved millions. As such, fury had swerved towards the other parties involved: the Northern Emperor, the Laughing Man, and Simon Black.

In the end, we didn’t get in trouble. Hope wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Astra had dismissed their responsibility for what happened. According to her, considering Torak’s involvement, it would’ve happened regardless. With a willing champion, the god of death would not be denied. Simon likely stole the secrets for making doppelgangers when he broke into Earth’s End. Maybe he had another clone of Jenna Crystal lined up if I fell through.

Hope understood all this, but that didn’t change the reality she’d opened the pillar. Her actions directly lead to the second dark age. It was strange not to be blamed.

Her feelings towards Simon were even more confused. He’s the reason Astra found us. He saved us multiple times and was a steadfast ally right up until… That betrayal stung most. She couldn’t believe the man wished for the Enera’s destruction, yet she’d watched him shatter the pillar with her own eyes. She still wore the pendent he’d given her. If I die, I want him to know. Maybe he’ll experience regret.

Hope brought out her adventurer card and studied it. After their victory in the underground coliseum, they had all reached the rank of saint. We are still far from immortality though. Her card was empty compared to the one Emerit Blaze had shown them.

Yesterday morning, a little over twenty four hours after the pillar shattered, they’d gathered at the Rose Palace to discuss their future. It was decided that our top priority is to ‘age up’ as quickly as possible. Lily had been adamant over this point. There were places where time moved faster than normal, and Astra had helped them pick destinations to take advantage of this. I chose the Bottomless Mine.

Miki had organized their travel plans immediately, and Hope found herself on an airship this morning.

With such a short time-frame, I gave up on packing entirely. She’d left the content of her workshop behind, which had only been slightly upsetting. The spells in my pebbles don’t match my new strength. I’ll have to weave new enchantments with saint level magics.

Instead, her preparation had consisted of amassing a few months worth of reading material. Free had lead them to a store that sold unsummoned books, and she’d gone overboard with her purchases, grabbing everything that caught her interest. Her dimensional pouches were stuffed.

The airship descended, and Hope noticed the landscape had become a rocky and arid plain. They were headed towards a wide gap in the fractured earth. So we’re nearly there.

This would be the first time she was separated from the others. We’re scattering across Enera. Wise and Rose had already teleported to the black citadel, courtesy of Nero. Light would train in a hidden ninja village in Harakoune. Soul had departed for the cultivating world and Dawn to Aery. Silver was enlisting to battle on Flux Planescapes, and Kate had left with Kara. Free was probably already in Vigil, where she would work to become a druid. And I’m traveling to Ravelin.

They emerged in a broken landscape of forested plateaus and landed in the one area clear of foliage, a field of bedrock bisected by deep ravines. No one was around. Hope waved away the captain’s offer to wait and hopped off.

The adventurer’s guild had its own communication network, enabled directly by the HEAVENLY DAO. Astra had assign a quest remotely, and someone would meet her here. Hope watched the airship sail away. Let’s find a spot to read.

“Are you Hope Skyfell?” Said a voice by her feet.

“Yes…?” Hope searched for the source.

“I’m your guide, Eren Rokamer.” A young women with braided, brownish-orange hair appear from nowhere. She appeared in her mid-twenties, and wore sturdy leather outfit which might have been prospecting equipment or adventuring gear, with large work gloves covering her hands. “Sorry for the surprise. I like appraising those I greet. Simple caution.”

“That was mass manipulation…” Hope muttered. “How small were you? I missed you completely.”

“The limits of my abilities are a secret~” Eren stately coyly as she circled Hope, growing and shrinking to obverse her from different angles.

“What is it?” Hope asked nervously.

“I just watched your fight in the blood arena this morning.” Eren answered happily. “You killed an immortal…” The wonder in her voice was clear.

“I had a lot of help.” Hope was struggling under the attention. “You… aren’t angry about what happened after?”

Eren stopped moving, “You mean the pillar’s destruction and the Dark Age? Not really. I saw the recording, ‘I want to know why I killed a man tonight’. I would’ve done the same. The fault lies with the one who conspired to kill millions with Kain’s arm and Simon Black. While I suppose some might blame you for simply existing, I’m not one of those.”

Hope was relieved and conflicted at being absolved so easily. To the extent I share a portion of blame, I will fight coming tragedies with all my might.

“Shall we head off?” Eren led them to a crevice where a discreet downward path had been carved into the cliff. Reminds me of the one to Lost World.

“So what happened in the middle of the fight? It looked like you were losing then suddenly Sion Gale was injured all over, his legs a complete mess.”

“I can’t say, sorry.” Recognizing that Eren had settled into a moderate pace conductive to chatting, Hope groaned inwardly.

“Everyone’s been wondering. Consensus is it was sublime vagary. There’d be no reason to hide it otherwise. Did it belong to your sister Dawn? It’s suspicious how she suddenly collapsed.”

“You know I can’t answer.” Hope protested. She’s figured out most of it.

Eren continued prodding for details of her life as they wandered deeper into the earth. Eventually, they entered a cave. As daylight retreated, Hope discovered the stones around them covered in glyphs, their soft glow lighting the way. At their sight, Eren’s attitude changed slightly, “So, how much do you know about Dwarven culture?”

Not much before yesterday. “You’re miners, naturally gifted in size changing and earth magic. Ravelin is your capital, built over the Bottomless Mine. You’re also experts at forging uneartly metals, such as Mithril.” That last one was of special interest to Hope.

“What about our history?” Eren glanced back.

“Ah, that…” Hope had tried to educate herself over the last day, but it’d been a challenge with a non-functional wristal. I should just accept ignorance as a character trait… “Sorry.”

They rounded a bend and came upon a statue of a Sphinx. It was two dozen feet tall and occupied the entirety of what appeared to be a dead end. Obsidian eyes turned towards them, and it spoke, “What is Ravelin’s most valued treasure?”

Eren grew in size, towering over Hope. Facing the woman-faced lion, she declared, “Beer.”

“Correct.” The stone figure proclaimed. Hope was at a loss for words.

“The answer doesn’t matter as long as its spoken standing at eye level.” Eren smiled as she shrunk. “A riddle only a dwarf can solve.”

The statue lifted a paw to reveal a square opening, five feet by five feet. Eren approached the entrance, herself now four feet tall, and tapped her back, “Hop on.”

“Excuse me?” Hope answered.

“That passage is over a mile long. It’s a miserable experience for you ‘tall folk’, so I’ll give you a lift.” Eren once again urged her to climb on.

Unsure, Hope complied. Eren immediately shot forward at superhuman speed, and rock flew by a couple inches away on each side. Whenever the passage curved, Eren ran on the walls to maintain her momentum. Hope ducked, gripped tight, and prayed.

“That was a guard post.” Eren declared offhand. Hope only grunted, having seen nothing as her eyes were closed.

Eren eventually came to a stop, saying, “You can get off.”

They were a subterranean valley illuminated by large purple mushrooms. Above, a skyriver flowed past and through an enormous metal grate which bisected the cavern. Here too, dull brown glyphs were etched into the stone.

“The bedrock around Ravelin is reinforced. Tunneling in would be a laborious undertaking which would not go unnoticed.” Eren explained.

Observing the metal grate, Hope realized there was another behind it. I think I see a third behind that. The bars were six inches thick and had the amber glint of cardium.

“Isn’t it impractical to block off the skyriver that way?” Hope wondered.

In response, Eren shrunk to a size which could easily traverse the obstacle. Right, stupid question.

They followed the valley in the opposite direction, and Hope took the time to study the vegetation. Along with the mushrooms, there were bushes, weeds, and even trees. Every leaf and stem was violet instead of green.

“First time witnessing inverted plant life?” Eren asked curiously.

“No, I’ve seen them before.” Hope said defensively. One time.

Not convinced, Eren continued. “They are a reflection, or echo, of the sun-loving surface greenery. Instead of producing energy by absorbing light, they do so by releasing it. A entirely magic phenomenon. Though rare before the fracturing, they now flourish many places, especially with our help.”

Eren turned giant and reached up a hand. With a wave, she drenched the ground. “They still require water and soil, so the ones here are cared for by us.”

As the cavern slanted upwards, Hope was surprised to see the circular flow of water slowly approached the ground. It began connecting in several places, then, after a twist in the valley, it touched down entirely. She watched wide-eyed as the river bubbled and slashed down the slope.

“Never seen rapids before?” Eren teased. “Water still travels by land, even on our fractured earth.”

Before Hope could muster a retort, Eren continued. “Look, we’re arriving. There’s lake Hush.”

Hope was stunned silent. Beautiful. The valley had opened to a wide space, and a large body of water stretched out before them. Beyond was a city, layers upon layers of fortification reflected in the perfectly smooth surface. On both sides of the lake, a thick forest flowed up and down over the landscape. Crystals in the far off cavern walls glittered under the glow from the sea of violet leaves.

Watching Hope gawk, Eren grinned, “Welcome too Ravelin! The Bottomless Mine is on the other side. It’s our most prized possession.”

“Long ago, we were simply the miner’s guild. We recruited those with size-changing and earth magic, and some began recognizing us a dwarves. Despite this, our existence was temporary, drifting. We founded settlements to extract ores and gems, and, when the veins ran dry, we moved again.”

“Then the fracturing happened. It was the best of times and the worst of times. Our old headquarters in Aery was now floating miles in the sky, and we were more lost than ever. On the other hand, the broken earth offered boundless opportunities.”

“When a prospecting team found the place, it all clicked together. We knew we had found a home, somewhere to settle and never leave. The Dwarven kingdom was born that day.”

“All dungeons are valuable, especially ones with accelerated time flow. However, for us, it’s more than that. Thanks to the Bottomless Mine, we went from a profession to a people.”

Once they reaching the edge of Lake Hush, Eren stopped and turned. “You plan on traveling to Corthia?”

Hope nodded. While many dungeons had small outposts within, Corthia, deep in the Bottomless Mines, was a veritable city.

“Who’s accompanying you?”

“No one.”

“And you’re going to spend months there?”

“Probably over a year. I have a lot to read.” Hope admitted. Also, I am trying to age up.

Eren peered closely, “Ever spent that long on your own?”

“No, but it’ll work out.” Hope wouldn’t allow herself to worry. If the others can manage, so can I.

Eren smiled, “It’s amazing that you’re a saint and only fifteen. Anyway, I’ll come with you.”

Before Hope could object, Eren cut her off, “My recent prospecting expedition was canceled. Concerns over the dark age and whatnot. I was considering a dungeon run anyway and it’s been a while since I’ve delved the mines. This isn’t up for debate.”

“Now let’s head to the Rokamer stronghold. No way I’m letting you stay at an inn.”