The party gathered together gasping and wheezing, after their frantic run into a place they knew not. In between her haggard breaths Amy peeked back at the collapsed corridor. It was made of light grey stone, with column facades spaced out in increments. Amy felt regret, she had closed off their only exit. It was purely reflexive action as she reacted to the thought of being pursued in the dark caverns of an infamous dungeon in Arbell. Still, none of the others criticized her as the action was right for the circumstances.
"Amy", Sean spoke as the glow stick illuminated his grey irises with an orangish hue as he handed it to her.
It was less conspicuous than a torch or a flashlight, it was a soft glow that illuminated their surrounding area, but was easily lost in the dark distance; and it functioned without any mana input or batteries.
Sean was surely handsome, like all members of the dragon species, but unlike his ginger siblings he had dark brown hair like Ian. But to her he was a close friend, the other members they trained in their respective magical disciplines, but Sean was the closest to a pure mage amongst the party. His deep understanding of the ancient language was comparable to Liam, and was a boon for her as she began her journey of study, walking along the pavement of written words. He was the individual she approached when she had questions about the definition.
Having regained their breaths, the party sat down to rest their aching muscles after their frantic flight.
"Let's stop and rest here before we move", Osgur said.
Everyone nodded,
"I'll take first watch", Sean volunteered.
"Me too", Amy also volunteered.
Amy had some things to discuss with him, some light she needed shed on her studies. Her compulsion to study despite the circumstances, was a survival instinct; the deeper her comprehension of magic and the ancient text written in the original tongue of the Draegun, the stronger her spells were. The stronger her spells were the better chance of success they had.
There was no fire, lest they should raise the curiosity of those who might be inhabiting this area. Instead, they piled glow sticks together and set them on the floor.
Amy smirked as she heard Minerva snoring raucously, Osgur, Veve, Lorenn, and Satriana had moved away from the light to enjoy each other's company in the dark chasms. The light was a focal point. Normally by human senses a light would be where they would not want to sleep as it would draw attackers. But these creatures were not human, such common sense was obsolete. Veve and Lorenn were elves and they enjoyed starlight shining softly in the abundant darkness of the night sky. The orcs Osgur and Satriana, were not reliant on sight as much as the other species were. They had a powerful sense of smell. Minerva and the dwarves were accustomed to their dimly lit rock and stone halls deep in the ground. Amy could say this type of environment was perfect for Minerva. Sean and Glyn were dragons, that could see as clearly in the night as the day. Amy was the only one who would be hindered by the lacking light.
"It is good", Sean said quietly with a voice barely above a whisper as Amy and him stared at the glow sticks, "There might be goblins here, they like the dark caverns of the world, still this light would ruin their vision".
Amy had never thought about where to sleep around a campfire. She had the image most had of huddling around the warmth and glow of the fire. When in reality those who camped by fire in unknown locations like the days before electricity, would sleep away from the fire to conceal themselves, and to give them an advantage as they would have instantly adjusted to the darkness when they awoke. No longer being a 'civilian' as Jeremy used to say, Amy could very well understand once basic common sense that was lost on the softness and complacency that peaceful modern times had created.
Sean turned to Amy with a whimsical flash in his eyes, "I know I don't look it but I feel old Amy when I see the humans", Amy nodded as Sean looked forward, "I've been alive for fifty-three years. Earther friends I had in my twenties when I was grown but still very much a baby, now have children of their own. The humans I knew from decades ago now have gray hair, and lines revealing their age. I don't like it. It is like another barrier between myself and the human world. Like I shouldn't exist there".
Amy punched his shoulder, "Maybe you can take me to the grocery store when I get old. I'll tell everyone you're my grandson".
"Grocery stores", Sean chuckled, "When humans started making them, Draegoch was in an uproar"
"Yeah", Amy said her curiosity piqued.
"The thought of using cold gas to cool air from a fan to refrigerate fresh food. All the Draegun were blown away by the concept! We had always thought food was good until spoiled, and meant to be consumed right away. Yet humans thought of extending the freshness by inhibiting rot with artificially cold air", Sean spoke with a smirk on his lips, "Ian and Liam talked about it. When they were young it started such a large fad that even the most remote city in Arbell had ten times more grocery stores than a human city".
Amy placed a delicate finger on her chin, and looked up, "I never thought about it like that", she said, "it is interesting".
It struck her as she realized how different it was for the draegun with their longer lifespans. Something that had never entered her consciousness before. It made everything more real for her, more grounded.
"You wanna see something cool?", Sean asked with enthusiasm shining in his eyes.
Amy nodded; she found this side of Sean very pure, almost childlike.
Sean shared his display with Amy. She scooched closer to get a better view. She could feel the warmth from his presence.
"I'm just finishing uploading my new program for my guns", Sean spoke as he was pressing buttons in the air, "Lately I have felt the need for a better rate of fire. Against many enemies, which the numbers we face constantly seem to rise exponentially. But I lose a little bit of power".
"Why did you make guns?", Amy asked.
"I thought they were cool", Sean said, "I mean the concept of putting combustible powder in a tube to shoot a lump of a projectile at speeds it shouldn't go".
"But that can't be done in Draegoch because the lack of resources", Amy responded.
"Look who has been studying!", Sean nodded his head in approval, "Yeah. But I still wanted to create something like that. So, I took the concept of a small force of energy creating a small explosion of magic to force bullets of condensed mana out of my barrels".
Sean pointed to some reference numbers on his H.U.D., "But see it lacks the range because the caliber is larger, and the projectiles aren't as hard as lead and copper".
"Ahh I see", Amy nodded, "So what do you use for gun powder?"
Sean grinned as he explained with an excited look, "It's a useless ore here called Nostramite by the Earthers. It violently explodes when it is touched with any magic. For a culture based on magical technology it is useless. No matter what we do it explodes when we even say a few words or even activate our tablets. I'll say it one more time to emphasize, it is useless. But it can be used with human concepts".
"Why isn't it used by more people then?", Amy asked.
"This is still prototype technology", Sean replied, "It isn't perfected yet, and processing the mineral into a fine enough powder to cause proper expansion is difficult because we only have magic machines that can do that, but once again it is magic and it would explode. I created a machine that would grind it into a fine enough powder to use back at my lair, but I'm still working on it. The grind is still too coarse; the mineral for all its uselessness is incredibly hard, and difficult to mine".
"Why can't you just buy one from earth?", Amy enquired.
"It can't stand the mineral, it needs a hardness comparable to Draegoch minerals like orialchum, mithril. I'm improving it but the gold, silicone, and copper I need to buy from Waga is limited and very expensive. We don't touch the minerals of Earth", Sean answered.
"Can I hold one?", Amy said; Sean nodded and handed her his left-handed version.
Amy held it in her hand, the weight was far heavier than she expected. Forget about pointing it with both hands she could barely lift one with both hands.
"It's heavy!", Amy commented as she grunted trying to lift it, "How does it work?".
"Well like I said each round has a casing of mithril, hard but flexible. Then the frame is orialchum very hard, not brittle, and very very heavy", Sean began showcasing it as he opened up a diagram on his display with gestures he zoomed in on a square box in the rear of the top of the slide, "This is miniature magic generator, it takes the outside natural mana and converts it to an applicable force. This little pin here arcs a small burst of electric magic that hits the nostramite. Then I use my software to make mana made manifest bullets ahead of time and I get a spell grade effect depending on the bullet I used", Sean explained proudly.
"But wouldn't those bullets make the nostramite explode", Amy was puzzled as she posed the question.
"It is different to what you use. Liam knows it better than me, but mana made manifest is raw energy manifested in reality. It has properties much like plasma but it is fabricated from nothing, instead of elemental spells which are created from molecules already found in the air. I condense the mana so much that it becomes inert unless it strikes something at tremendous speed, then it expands".
"So can you explain how mana made manifest, works, I can only do it. I don't know the principles behind a lot of things I do", Amy asked with an earnest look on her face.
Sean looked at Amy with a curious expression, but Amy had no thought of it as he replied, "Think about magic like this: the world is chaos and would be inert. It is magic that draws all the quarks that could appear anywhere at any time, it is magic that gives unity to the worlds. You manifest that raw power into existence, it is very hard even for dragons to imagine it. It can become a wave or a solid channel of energy, whatever your mind and power can manage. It is hard because it is creating something from nothing".
"And dark magic degrades and rends unity into chaos", Amy offered.
"Exactly", Sean responded with a pleased look, "You sure are working hard to understand our ways, and our world. But don't forget where you came from Amy. Like with the grocery stores, we draegun learn as much from the humans as they learn from us. Never feel that you are lesser than us. Every little bit adds up. And it may very well be the fact that you are human that will be most important. After this raid I think we need to go back to Earth, let you relax a little bit".
They talked further during the hours of their watch. For eight hours they pursued knowledge and exchanged ideas on magic, mana, and technology. Before they knew it Glyn awoke, pushed Minerva, and they approached Sean and Amy.
Glyn eyed Amy with a coy twinkle in her eye then she looked to Sean. Amy blushed red; her cheeks began to warm.
"Take the watch we will", Minerva spoke as she beat her chest, "Sleep well you can!".
"Over already, Goodnight Amy! Good talk!", Sean said with a warm smile.
Amy nodded, and meekly responded, "Goodnight", then she rushed to find a spot to sleep far from the prying eyes of others.
Glyn chuckled, while Sean gave her a glare that would wilt a flower.
As tired as she was after using her energy for the spells, she fell asleep quickly. The soft glow bouncing off the cold gray walls of the corridor, blurred in her vision as her eyes closed, and the curtain of sleep fell upon her.
Amy had a dream that night. She felt formless like she was present, but not at the same time. She looked around to see pitch black. Then a ball of blue light in front. It was earth, she tried to focus but the details were ubiquitous, her vision was blurry, but somehow she knew. Then she heard a loud roar that seemed to shake the space she was in. She silently watched as a white dragon and a black dragon fought viciously above the Earth. Then as she saw the black dragon attack, she felt the pain of the claws in her side.
"AAAGHHHH!!!!", She screamed as her eyes burst open and sweat ran down her back.
"Amy! Amy! Are you okay?", Sean asked with a worried expression on his face as he shook her shoulder.
Amy touched her side expecting to see blood but her flesh was unspoiled and healthy. The party woke up at her scream and she felt sorry for disturbing others.
"I'm fine", Amy responded rubbing her eyes.
"Here use this", Glyn said as she handed a cloth to wipe the sweat of her brow.
"I think we've rested enough", Osgur spoke as he was standing with his Lucerne hammer standing on the floor clutched firmly in his hand, "Shall we explore while finding an exit?".
Amy could tell he looked at her with an apologetic expression, but they did not know how much time they had. Suddenly they were in survival mode as they were sealed off inside the womb of the world. Their supplies were finite even with the inventory app. Amy nodded at Osgur, stood up and they continued down the dark corridor.
Crack, crack, crack, Sean distributed fresh sticks to the members as they began their journey into the unknown. With each step Amy felt like she was leaving one place and entering an alien environment. The further they progressed down the hall way the more unfamiliar things felt. It was an abstract feeling, something hard to put into words, but the feeling was real.
"Wonder do I if goblins are here?", Minerva thought aloud, "Filthy creatures, they will die if I see them".
Amy could understand the hostility, dwarves and goblins preferred the same environment in the hidden halls beneath the ground.
"What is this?", Glyn gasped as they finally came into a chamber after a lengthy hike.
Amy looked down at the stone sticking out from the walls: it was a stone spiral staircase. The walls were still lit with torches.
"These are dwarven torches. Never go out they do!", Minerva said with pride.
After descending their way was barred by an old stone door carved into the rock. Osgur touched such a formidable hefty door and it opened. It was dwarven alchemy and engineering that caused such a heavy weight to move so easily.
Then the party grew silent as they came upon a vast pillared cavern that seemed to infinitely expand forward and around.
"Dwarvish make, these columns are not", Minerva commented as she pressed her hand upon an eve reaching column. The darkness prevented their sight from seeing the ceiling it connected to.
"Maybe a little more light can be allowed, besides we need to see", Osgur said with curiosity written on his otherwise stoic face.
The party became speechless as Amy activated the app Magelight. Then a ball of light appeared. It rose upwards and suddenly the beige pillars boastfully stood; revealed by the first light that they had shined upon them in ages. Indeed, Amy could tell this hall was old, very, very old. The light seemed to cling to the air making the splendor of this ancient place obvious to even untrained, ignorant eyes; and no matter what direction Amy looked, there was always a clear unobstructed straight path to walk through the pillars.
"Amazing", even Shatira couldn't help but admire the dignity of this grand structure.
'Where are we?', Amy thought to herself as she marveled at the wonderous sight before her.