^^ Aery ^^

"Hold on tight..."
"Thought you'd never ask..."

--- Greta's POV ---

We rocketed into the air, moving so fast that my hair lost its grip, and the hairpins snapped, letting my long hair loose, directly into Willam's face.

He laughed, fending off my hair, and I tossed the hood of my cape up, holding it tightly to prevent it from moving.

Then I remembered my runes, and simply made my hair not obey the laws of dynamics, laying in a flat braid as the wind whipped past us.

Willam tsk'ed. "Damn. I was enjoying watching you try to figure that out... anyway, keep your eyes north... We'll be reaching it soon."

I nodded and looked north, my eyes sharpening until I could see ice on the horizon, 20 miles away. Our elevation gave us an extra 6 miles of sight, but I still saw nothing.

I blinked, seeing something small, and grinned. A young Dragonet(tiny dragon, size of a horse when fully grown) was flying next to us suddenly, warbling at us curiously.

I laughed and reached for it, and when it got close, I pet its nose, and then pulled the kitten-sized monster into my lap, gently petting its wings.

She purred, and I smiled, tickling her chin gently. Willam hummed. "I don't know how Max feels about a Dragonet on his back..." he warned me as the Roc's feathers ruffled.

I growled and hissed at him. "Behave." He instantly calmed down, after an initial shiver of fear. I smirked at Willam. "He knows who's boss now."

I pet the Dragonet some more, and then gasped, letting him fly away. We'd reached the Arctic Circle, and in the center of the mental map I'd created was Aery. Now it loomed as a massive mountain, floating almost five miles from the surface. A paper-thin magical barrier covered the outside in a dome, and capping the mountain was a glorious city reminiscent of Ancient Tuscany.

The bottom was honeycombed with tiny tunnels and caves, in which Roc Slept or Ate, and a few nursed eggs.

"Wow... how'd so many Roc come into this Realm?!? Hasn't the Order been ordered to clean this out? I mean, I get that you guys tamed them, but before?" I asked.

"No one knew it existed. It's situated at True North, and floats 5 miles above the surface of the ice. The metal in the mountain is polarized, so the magnetic field holds it up. The EMF also powers the Dome, keeping the inside relatively warm... what do you think?" He asked, grinning as his Roc dove in slowly, flapping to a stop inside a giant cave, before laying down so we could get off.

I flew off, laughing, and waited as Willam jumped. "I forgot you could fly... well, the flying city is still cool, to the rest of us." He grinned.

"It's amazing. I like it." I nodded, looking around. "A little chilly, but that's fine..."

He blinked. "A little chilly? It's negative 90 Degrees Fahrenheit, Greta." He shook himself, and I laughed.

"My cloak is Namean Lion Pelt. It keeps me warm." I shrugged.

He laughed. "Why am I not surprised you have a magic cloak?"

"Because all my clothes are magic?" I grinned.

"All of them?" He blinked slowly.

"All that I'm wearing." I nodded. "My gloves protect me from lesser physical and magical attacks, my boots can shape-shift, and my cloak as well. My dress is just stain-proof." I shrugged.

He laughed. "Alright. Come on, let's show you my Home."

"I thought you lived in Cairo?" I asked, following him down the passageway.

"Nah. That's just during the School-Year, so that there's no Commute. It's a hassle, but it's better than flying three hour flights back and forth every day. Max might die if I tried that." He shrugged.

I nodded. "A portal would be useful..."

"Yes... but it's fine. Anyway, prepare yourself... you're about to see a glorious city." He pressed a button, and a grate closed behind us.

I grinned. "An elevator?!? Ooh... fun." I bounced on my toes eagerly as we ascended quite a ways, before it ground to a halt.

He opened the grate, and led me through a warehouse filled with woods of all kinds, and into a busy street. Rhino demons, like the one we'd killed recently, were pulling giant carts, like pack mules, Roc and even a few full-grown Dragonet's flew overhead, carrying things, and people ran to and fro, speaking to one another quickly in a language I wasn't familiar with.

"What language is that?" I asked him.

"The Elves Language. We don't have a name for it, other than 'Yara', which means 'Language'. It's the working and business language around here." He nodded.

I grinned and listened, breathing deeply, and focused on a woman nearby, speaking loudly. I quickly analyzed her word structure and created logical grammar rules, theorizing possible extended and basic vocabulary, and cross referencing the words I'd already heard, checking my theory, to find it mostly accurate if she was actually saying what I thought she was saying.

I turned to Willam, and spoke haltingly in the same language. "Is this... correct?"

He blinked slowly, and responded in a much more fluid version. "Wow... yes! You learned quickly!!" He grinned. "Now we can speak in a language I am comfortable with! Perfect! Now, we have a reservation at a restaurant, I hope you're hungry."

He started leading the way, and I smiled, tucking my hand in his elbow. "Escort me correctly, sir..." I chuckled.

He blushed. "Sorry, I got overexcited... anyway... this is the Warehouse District, we're currently crossing towards the Market District, the biggest of them all. It's the size of all of Cairo, if you can believe it, and takes up 2/3rd of the entire lower Ring, while the Warehouse District takes the last third. The top two Rings holds the residential district, and the FairGrounds."

"FairGrounds?" I asked, afraid I'd misheard.

"Yeah. The castle up there? Its not the Royal palace or anything. We call it the FairGrounds, because the Council puts on a show every day, arguing about random things. The Council holds almost all the major merchants in the world, and when they have a problem, they come here to argue about it. Hence, FairGrounds. No one lives there, however. It's purely a giant meeting House." He explained.

I smirked. "And the tower connected?"

"That holds the tax records. A library filled with nothing but numbers, orders, receipts... it's rather fun, actually, I find it very engaging to read them and count the taxes." He grinned guiltily.

"You like the numbers? Or the trading?" I asked.

"All of it. I'm also told that I'm a good politician... mother says I have a quote 'Healthy, Intelligent Greed for Power', unquote. My human family is descended from Machiavelli, so I suppose it is just fate." He murmured, eyes searching something in front of us.

I smiled and looked forward into the suddenly empty street. "That's not good, is it." I said simply as red Mist started filling the street.

"Not at all... stay behind me." He said warily.

"Excuse me?" I raised an eyebrow.

His muscles bulked up and compressed before I could say more, and his skin turned silver as several projectiles clattered off his skin. He smirked at me. "That's why. Now you're free to give them hell." He chuckled, and charged forward into the Mist.

He was launched back immediately, grunting in surprise. I drew my sword, and knocked six more projectiles out of the air. I growled and stabbed the ground, using a new skill I'd discovered to make Demon Vines, expanding and searching for my enemies.

Willam stood, and my vines found three enemies, before it ate the Mist. Then it tried to eat my enemies, but that wasn't in the cards, I suppose, as they dodged and charged.

I grinned and met the first, a giant man with a club, dodging the oak in his hand, and setting it alight, before swinging my sword at his wrist to cut it off.

Instead, it simply bit into his skin an inch or so, and halted.

I braced myself as he swung, and his left fist found my gut.

It hurt, and knocked the wind out of me, but I stayed put, surprising him. I sheathed my sword, and hauled off my fist, returning the favor with a straight jab at his diaphragm.

He grunted and took a step back, just as Willam arrived, and launched him away with a single blow. The other two assassins dangled from his off hand, unconscious.

I grinned and followed the man, before looking him in the eyes. I delved into his soul, and searched his recent memories.

---

"Find the Heir to Aery, Golem. Then kill him. That is your mission, is that understood?" A prim voice said simply.

The Elf in front of me was tall, and thin, as was the want of most of their race. He sat down on a Throne, and crossed his legs slowly. That's when I realized he was a she, when the Golem replied, "Yes Mistress."

She nodded. "Take a few of the assassins with you to make it look better, I suppose... begone. Do not return until you have completed my Task."

---

I dropped him, and shivered. "Wow... okay." I cut my finger, and dropped three drops of blood into his mouth. His contract was broken, but instead of making a new one with me, he simply gained freedom. I growled and stepped back as he stood. "Shit... didn't expect that." I drew my sword, but he held up a hand.

"There is no need for that... I wish you no harm." He said softly, despite his size.

Willam stood next to me. "What did you do?"

"I broke his contract to his master. An Elven Woman... she looked male to me, but..." I shrugged.

"Yes... Mistress Haveli." The golem nodded.

Willam grinned. "Well you're just a fount of information waiting to be tapped... tell you what. You help me get your mistress arrested, I'll secure you a Visa to live on Aery, and work whatever job you like. Deal?"

The golem hummed, vibrating the dirt, and grinned. "Deal. I am Romani-Made, given the name 'Ira', meaning-"

"Wrath." I nodded.

He grinned again. "Yes."

I looked at my pocket watch, and Willam gasped. "Oh shit we're going to be late! Hum... alright, Ira. Meet me at the docks at sunrise tomorrow-"

I tapped his arm. "You will not be able to leave at sunrise..." I smirked.

"Sunset, then. Sunset tomorrow, and we'll get to work." He blushed.

Ira laughed. "Mm. I will take the assassins to your FairGrounds, then, for incarceration. Enjoy your evening."

He took the assassins and lumbered away, and I pulled Willam towards the direction we'd been going.

"Good fighting, by the way. Is every date going to end or begin with battle? I mean, I enjoy fighting, and you really know how to show a woman a good time, but... that might get annoying soon... also, they were here to assassinate you." I said simply.

He nodded. "I figured as much... ah! Here we are. La Vita Della Pazzia!" He grinned and widened his arms to a large building that smelled of Italian Food.

"The life of Insanity?" I raised an eyebrow.

"The cook is insane, but he makes good food." He shrugged.

We walked in, after I made my armor shift back into my evening dress and cloak. The cloak turned into a small purse I dangled off my elbow, and my sword returned to being a belt.

He walked up to a small podium, with a middle aged man behind it. "Two for evening dining, Names of Willam Finch and Greta Falkirk?" He asked.

The man bowed his head, prompting a servant to appear quickly, leading us to a small patio at the back of the restaurant, completely secluded, with a thin black curtain surrounding the little platform we sat on.

I smiled. "Very posh... I like it. I'll have to steal some ideas for my restaurant... Greta's Garden would very much improve with something like this... maybe I'll open a second location here..."

Willam pulled out my chair and let me sit down in it, then scooted it forward. "I'm sure you could pull it off..." he sat down, and smiled. "But back to the subject from earlier... does it bother you? Our dates getting interrupted?" He asked, eyes searching my face for something.

I smiled. "Not a bit. We're still here, aren't we? We still went on the date, despite the war we fought beforehand. That means you're just as determined and stubborn as I am, and that's a good sign. I like it. And the fighting is fun. I'm a bit of a Battle Junky, so you'll never see me turn down a fair fight." I laughed softly. "Are you okay dating someone who loves fighting as much as she loves animals?"

He laughed loudly. "Of course. I wouldn't want you any other way. You're perfect. And there's no way I'd break you, which means something to me. You're not fragile, like most people. Mentally and Physically, you're strong." He nodded, and set his elbows on the table, resting his chin on his wrist.

I whipped his elbow a bit with my fingers, and smirked at his yelp. "You're correct of course... and I like the way you said it. I am not fragile... and neither are you. Now... I am also hungry. What do they serve here? You said Italian?" I asked, smiling.

He laughed again. "Yes. My favorite is the Spaghetti, but that's not exactly a gourmet dish. They have a delicious Tilapia... ah! That's why. The menus were hidden." He pulled two menus out from under the basket of breadsticks, and handed me one.

I giggled and bowed my head. "Thank you, kind sir..."

He smirked. "You are most welcome, Milady... but I'm not a Knight." He chuckled.

"True... but if I were to say 'Cometh hither and Giveth your lady thine lips, kind sir,' what would you say?" I smirked, playing a game.

He blinked slowly, and stood, walking around the table in two short steps, and kissed my nose. "I'd say wait until after dinner." He whispered, and sat back down, laughing at my look of shock and amusement.