Crystalis

[Auramancer]

A cool breeze blew lazily across a golden plain, sun shining lightly through pink tinged clouds. The sunlight reflected clearly, glistening in the morning dew. The sky was tinted an opalescent blue, elegant and flowing like the sea which lay below it. Waves crashed against an overhanging cliff and sprayed white foam into the air, painting the sunrise. The heavens were awash with the pink and yellow hue of the sun appearing from beyond the horizon, hanging just above the rippling water. The Auramancer breathed in slowly, soaking in the rays of his benevolent celestial keeper. The smell of salt wafted through the air, the breeze bringing with it a mist of water which lightly touched Aaron's face. He closed his eyes, wind dancing on his skin.

Aaron shivered. Opening his eyes, the Auramancer slowly made his way back to where Kragor was standing. The two of them were making their way to Radasanth, the capital of Corone and port city. For reasons unbeknownst to him, Kragor had neglected to mention what they would be doing there, or why they were in Althanas in the first place. He did not complain, however, as he'd never been outside the castle his entire life. Aaron knew little to nothing about his home world, so coming to Althanas was no more a shock than it would have been to travel Scaethia.

As Aaron walked across the wet surface of the ground, he took in his surroundings. Seagulls called to each other in the distance, circling overhead of a group of fish. Below the cliff he stood upon were jagged rocks which seemed to cleave the ocean water as the tide came in. In the distance the clouds grew dark, and when Aaron listened carefully he could make out the crackling of thunder.

It was all well with him. Aaron welcomed the storm. He loved the rain; how it seemed to cleanse everything, evaporating into nothing, leaving only an earthen scent behind. He had always wondered why that was. Water, which fell from the sky, leaving behind the smell of soil.

Kragor placed his right hand upon Aaron's shoulder, jolting the Auramancer back to reality. “We're almost there. Try not to fall behind.” Kragor then took a giant stride towards Radasanth. The man easily stood seven feet tall when he was in his natural form. The large man had always been a mystery in Scaethia, as the people there never grew above six feet. After traveling between worlds, Aaron began to wonder if Kragor was from Scaethia at all.

“I'm right behind you.” called Aaron. The young man was only five feet eight inches, which was quite average. His hair, a chestnut brown, and his eyes, sky blue however were highly unusual in Scaethia. Most people from his world had black hair and brown eyes. His looks, coupled with his haughty demeanor and strange powers meant he was destined to fall out of favor with the locals. Thinking back on his home, Aaron snarled. He despised the people of Scaethia, especially the refugees who made their home inside the castle walls. If he never went back it'd be too soon.

Making their way inland, the two followed the Niema River straight towards their destination. Off in the distance Aaron could make out the ships of the famous Corone Navy bobbing in the water, like toys in a child's bath. The sound of the robust economy bustled across the river. As the city grew closer, Aaron's stomach growled. He hadn't eaten since noon time yesterday, and was starving.

"Let's get something to eat, yeah?” called Aaron to Kragor, who was well ahead of the Auramancer. Aaron was failing to keep up yet again. Kragor stopped and turned towards Aaron, waiting for him to catch up, grin on his face.

Kragor was still grinning when Aaron arrived. It made Aaron uneasy. “What? Why are you grinning like that?”

“I heard your stomach growl from way over here.” laughed Kragor, not being able to contain himself any longer.

Aaron sighed. “Let's just go. I'm starving. Let's stop at the first vendor we see.”

Kragor raised an eyebrow. “How do you plan on buying anything, exactly?”

Aaron ignored the question. He knew that if he said anything Kragor would just throw it in his face. Yes, they were in a new world, and of course he didn't have the right currency. Aaron just assumed his mentor would have brought along a way for the two of them to eat. If he hadn't, Aaron was going to have words with him.

Soon, the two were at the cusp of the city, the noise grew louder, and the ships grew bigger. No longer akin to a child's toys, the masts of the ships towered high into the sky. Bells rang and sailor's calls echoed across the harbor. The smell of grain, lumber, fish and exotic spices filled the air. Aaron turned suddenly, and looked towards a gangly looking vendor.

“I smell something delicious.” Aaron salivated, practically drooling on himself. What he smelled was fresh pheasant rubbed with elvish spices. It smelled heavenly. “This. Let's buy this.”

When Aaron turned to look at Kragor, however, the wizard was nowhere in sight. Kragor had vanished, leaving the Auramancer to his own devices.

“Perfect.”

[Auramancer]

Aaron sighed deeply, rubbing his temples. He could feel a migraine coming on. Aaron knew that Kragor tended to do his own thing, but this was ridiculous. Aaron was in a strange world with no money and no idea what he was doing there. He had absolutely no direction, and no sense of what Kragor was trying to accomplish.

Drip.

Thunder cracked above the Auramancer. Aaron looked up to see the dark clouds from before had made their way to the harbor. Rain began to drip down on top of the city, sending the merchant carts and crowds clamoring for shelter. The gangly vendor began to pack up his meats, folding the wooden doors of his cart shut. Soon the rain picked up speed and began pouring down like a torrential river, picking up the grime of the city streets, forming great puddles of mud and horse manure in the alleyways.

Aaron always liked the rain, but this felt like a direct insult against him. Not having time to think, Aaron picked up his green and purple robe so it wouldn't drag through the street filth and headed towards shelter. He ran quickly towards the first building he came across. A sign hung over the doorway; a horseshoe on a frothing flagon of ale. The sign read “The Lucky Mug”.

Dashing inside, Aaron let go of his clothes and began wiping himself off with a handkerchief. It didn't do much good, as it was already soaked from the rain as well. “It'd be easier just to change my clothes...” Aaron thought out loud, however he didn't want to draw any unnecessary attention. Aaron always changed his clothes by magic, concentrating his aura on his appearance and creating something new to wear. It wasn't a terribly useful ability, but Aaron, as vain as he was, always liked looking better than everyone else.

“I'll help you change out of that, lass.” a patron of the tavern called, crude grin on his face. A few other patrons laughed. The man then began to walk over towards Aaron. The Auramancer's feminine looks had gotten him into trouble before, but never had he been mistaken for a “lass”. This “peasant” wasn't helping his migraine.

As the man approached, Aaron blurted out “Not lass. Lad. And stay away, peasant, I really don't have time for the likes of you.”

The other patrons laughed again. The gruff man began to chuckle as he came towards Aaron, stopping in front of the Auramancer. He was a scruffy, six foot tall man with yellow teeth and a scar on his chin. From his attire it appeared as though he may work at the docks, and from his muscles it appeared as though he was in charge of the heavy lifting. Aaron was regretting talking down to him, but he'd never admit it, prideful as he was.

“So I see. What is a pretty boy like you doing in Radasanth? Here to buy some silks to fashion yourself some new fancy clothes?”

“Actually, I don't know why I'm here. I have no food or money, and my mentor has disappeared.” Aaron almost spat the words, but there was a tinge of sadness to what he said.

A woman in the corner, who had been sitting with the other dockworkers, came up to Aaron. She had reddish brown hair and bright green eyes. “You poor thing. Let me buy you a drink, and something good to eat.”

“Elsie, why--” the dockworker stopped. The woman called Elsie put her finger up to her mouth, shushing the burly man. Obviously this woman held some sort of power over the dockworkers.

“Here, come sit with us.” Elsie smiled, grabbing Aaron's hand and leading him over to their table. It wasn't entirely unpleasant, he thought, as she was a moderately attractive woman. What was unpleasant was that he was getting sucked into this strange situation with people from a strange world. Kragor had left him on his own however, and he had to survive somehow. Aaron's stomach growled again, and he decided a good meal was in his best interest, regardless of who or where it came from.

[Auramancer]

Aaron sat down, surrounded by other scruffy looking dockworkers. Elsie sat next to him, smiling and scooting up close. Aaron was a little uncomfortable with this strange woman getting so close to him, but he decided it was better to just leave it alone. He didn't want to upset the person who'd just bought him lunch. All the women of Scaethia were conniving witches, constantly trying to worm their way into anyone's bed who held power. At least, that was the impression Aaron was under. Living in the castle had warped his views quite a bit. It was true, however, that everyone did everything they could to get ahead in his homeland. It was the political nature of it all that Aaron couldn't stand. But, perhaps this woman Elsie was different.

A waitress brought over a bowl of what looked like soup and a flagon of ale, the house specialty. Aaron poked at his food before taking a bite. He was so hungry, however, that he threw caution to the wind and began to shovel the soup into his mouth. Taking a large quaff of his ale, Aaron then sat back and sighed. It wasn't the best, but it hit the spot.

“Is it good?” asked Elsie, smiling. Aaron nodded, putting his face back into his bowl. He was still too hungry to talk. His pace slowed though, as his stomach began to fill up with the mysterious bowl of brown.

As Aaron finished up his meal, he began to noticed the conversation that had been happening around him. The dockworkers were talking in hushed tones. Some had grave looks on their face, others looked solemn. “That's when I saw it...” one dockworker said, almost whispering. “A face. There was a face in the crystal. It... it looked like death. The whole island is cursed!”

“You're mad.” Another man sighed, rolling his eyes.

Aaron's ears perked up. A face inside a crystal... Depending on the kind of crystal, a face could mean a variety of things. It could mean it was projecting an image into the mind of the dockworker, or it could mean the crystal was a soul stone, capable of trapping people's souls within itself. In either case, an artifact of this nature was very rare in Scaethia. Aaron had only read about them in his magic texts. Could it be that such an artifact existed here in Althanas? Aaron needed to see for himself.

“Where was this crystal? And what color was it?” Aaron blurted out.

“Then... you believe me?” asked the dockworker, his fist untightening. “It was hard to tell... the sight sent shivers down to me very soul. But, if I think back... I believe the crystal was purple. We were at a cave on an island northeast of here. But I wouldn't go there if I was you. The island is cursed, I tell ye.”

Aaron cursed under his breath. If the crystal was on an island he'd have to secure passage with one of the local ships, and he had no money. None, except for the gold pieces he had from Scaethia.

“Take a look at these.” said Aaron, pulling out his coin purse. He then dropped the coins onto the table, making a loud clinking sound. All eyes turned towards Aaron. “Do you think these will get me to the island?”

“I can take you.” called out a well dressed man. Standing up, the man came over to Aaron and looked at the coins. “These should do nicely. I'm Captain Jacobs. If you're looking for passage I'm your man.” Aaron thought it was strange that he'd accept the coins, but apparently the foreign imprints didn't bother the captain. “I happen to be heading northeast and can take you by the island. What do you say?”

“Yes.” said Aaron. “These coins for a room on your ship, along with meals for the journey.”

“Then we sail tonight. Come with me, we'll board my ship and you can rest below deck.”

The woman who was sitting next to Aaron frowned. “Leaving so soon?” Elsie had been listening quietly to the conversation. “I understand. Look me up if you come back this way.” Aaron nodded, and stood up, following the captain to his ship.

As the two left the tavern Aaron looked towards the sky. The rain hadn't stopped, and was still pouring down on top of the city. The ground was slippery, and steam rose from the cobblestone, smelling of the city filth. Captain Jacobs lead Aaron down an alleyway towards the docks, where they both boarded a large vessel.

“Go ahead and situate yourself below deck. Someone will come and get you before we depart.” Aaron nodded, and made his way towards his room. He was thankful he was on his way, for he finally felt as if he had a purpose here in Althanas. Aaron didn't know where Kragor was, but he was sure he'd find him eventually. Aaron would make his way back to Radasanth, meet up with Kragor, and they'd do whatever it was Kragor needed to get done, but after Aaron had a look at this crystal.

“Let's just hope the trip is worth it.”