.^^ Mèng Dian ^^

— Rune —

Natva looked at me critically, when I showed up happily, after dropping Devon off at the Sanctuary. "I see it went... well?" She asked slowly.

"Indeed, it was very fun! She agreed to let me Guide two of her expeditions, starting tomorrow! She says she enjoys my company, and would like to see where courting goes!" I grinned, and plopped into her bed, still chuckling.

She smiled. "That's good news, darling... and did you tell her about me?"

"Mmhmm, Yep. She seemed surprised, but agreed with you, that I probably shouldn't have sex with other women, if I'm courting her. It's a drag, but it is logical." I sighed.

She laughed. "I see. So honesty did the trick, Hmm? Isn't that a lesson for everyone who thinks secrets save lives?"

"Sometimes they do." I shrugged, and then stood up, cracking my back. "I'm going to take a bath, just because I miss the water already. You should join me, I'll make the water hot for you."

She shook her head. "I've already had a bath, and don't push your luck. But I'm happy for you. She's a good girl, smart and sweet."

I chuckled. "And she likes Ulfavir, and she's not afraid of anything, even a Dragon in her face. It's impressive."

She raised an eyebrow slowly. "You tested her courage?"

"I usually hate cowards." I shrugged, and stepped into her bath, letting my clothes dissolve and reform on the ground. The water glowed softly, and I sighed as it heated to a pleasant temperature, literally boiling so that I could feel it with my fire-proof skin, then turning to ice, relaxing my muscles in cycles.

She hummed, sitting on the edge of the bath. "So why are you fireproof? That's not a TinkerToy Mage ability."

"No... it's a Water Elemental Ability." I murmured.

She raised an eyebrow slowly. "Do I get an explanation?"

"Remember the water Elemental, Ophelia? She adopted me, when I was an infant. Gave me a piece of her power. It kept me alive, until I could hunt for myself." I explained.

She blinked. "And that made you immune to fire?"

"Well, Water Elemental's, even a half like me, are immune to fire, yes. You can't Burn Water, only boil it, and boiling water only cleans it, after all." I chuckled.

She hummed. "True... it's an impressive ability. And your ability to see magic is interesting, as well, a visual version of the Drundomidon Gift. A merging of the two might prove beneficial."

"Or disastrous. Trying to mix too much power into one person results in a balance, a weakness that directly correlates to their powers. The Universe is all about Balance, after all." I shrugged.

She nodded. "I suppose you're right... either way, don't boil my bath, you're warping the brass."

I halted the changes, normalizing the temperature, and then touched the side of the bathtub, making the metal regenerative, and then enchanting it with the same ability as the fountain she'd been so happy with. "A present, then. I think I'll go, my hands are itching to build something." I smiled and stepped out, dry as a bone, then clothed myself and kissed her cheek.

She smiled, patting my cheek. "Go on, then, you zany little rascal."

I grinned and jogged out, stepping through a portal into my workshop, surprising Johann, who was sitting in my chair. "Oh... hello, Johann. What might you need? Supplies for the Castle?" I asked, and pulled a bar of steel out of the forge, and a hammer, striking it flat in a few heavy blows.

"Oh, no, we're quite well off... I came to spend time with you, actually. I haven't had much chance to do so, so far." He shrugged.

I nodded. "True. I have been avoiding you, perhaps subconsciously. I don't have much to say, because of my logical brain telling my emotional brain that you are not to blame for my issues, but also that you are, in the grand scheme, but that you've paid your price. It's a very conflicting scenario."

He chuckled. "It is, Yes... but I have a request, then... can I see Illyria's grave?"

"Who?" I looked over my shoulder.

He blinked. "Who-... your mother, Rune!"

"Oh. I never knew her name... sure, I don't mind taking you there. You can meet my other mother, Ophelia." I set the metal into the forge, and opened a mirror to the Clearing.

"Why are we at the Greenwood?" He asked, looking around.

"Because this is where she'd buried." I shrugged, walking over to the patch of stone ground on the northern side of the meadow, where three pits were cracked into the stone, filled with sand and rocks. One was smaller than the others, holding Gethod, while the other two held what was left of Faranza and Illyria. "The left one is hers." I said, and stepped away to leave him alone with the pit.

He knelt down in front of it, and sighed, lowering his head in what I supposed was a prayer. I had never prayed, before, but Gethod had done it often, to Shistu, the God of Luck.

I hummed, and held out some gems, to be thrown into the graves, as was custom for Shistu. He glanced up, confused, and I shrugged. "I don't really know much about prayer, but Shistu likes gems, for prayers."

He chuckled, shaking his head and taking a Diamond, placing it in an empty spot on top of the grave. "Thank you for taking care of her." He murmured.

I raised an eyebrow. "How do you mean?"

"Burying her." He explained.

"Ah. No problem." I shrugged.

Ophelia smacked my skull sharply, and huffed at me. "Now what kind of response was that? I know you know better!"

I sighed. "And Johann Faequell, meet Ophelia, the Ursine that raised me."

He stood, and bowed. "Thank you, for keeping him safe. I hope we're not intruding?" He looked at the river that surrounded us, and hummed.

"Not at all! Family is always welcome!" She grinned, and hugged him tightly, then pulled me in as well, smushing us together. I grunted, pushing back slowly, and then gave up. I had never managed to beat her, so I probably never would.

She released us, eventually, and then looked up as a set of five flyer's hovered overhead, harvesting beans quickly. It was the beginning of spring, and therefore Harvest Season, for Winter Crops. The beans would actually grow again by the end of planting season, and again every three months or so.

"It's busy around here, huh?" I asked.

"Spring is my favorite!!! The ice melts, and the rivers swell, and all the fishes begin swimming again!!!" She giggled, and danced away, diving into her river, and playing with the fish who circled around her reverently.

Johann cleared his throat, and cracked his back slowly. "She's... strong." He grunted, his back cracking with a loud snap, that apparently relaxed him. "And enthusiastic... anyway, thank you. I'll find some flowers, and place them here soon... I didn't know she was so close."

"Didn't you read the journals?" I hummed.

"Yes? They stopped about four years ago." He glanced at me.

"Oh, right, I gave you all the older ones. Here." I walked into the Greenwood, and found my stash of journals, returned to their place. I took the ones from the past four years or so, and handed them to him. "There you go, if you like. Also, I was planning on leaving the Construct here... extra security and all." I let the Construct out, outside, and he looked around instantly.

"The temple?"

"Underground, my friend. Safe. Guard the entrance and the meadow, and you'll be fine." I grinned.

He hummed, and sat down, leaning against the tree. "Alright... So long as that Elven Construct stays away. It's ugly, and unfinished." He grumbled.

Johann laughed. "Hey, I built it from scratch with no instruction! I can't have done that bad of a job!"

The Construct turned its head, and hummed again. "Your Father is a Clockwork Mage As well... interesting."

I snorted. "I'm sure you two will become the best of friends! Now, I've got to get going, I have an expedition to get ready for!" I stepped through another mirror, back into my workshop.

Johann followed, to my despair. "Would you like some help? I can be a second pair of hands, if you want."

I suppressed a sigh, and nodded. "Sure. If you want. I want to make some replacement parts for my arm, just in case it gets damaged, and I also want to reconfigure the forearm to maybe make a blade of some sort... if I'm going to be fighting with it, I might as well get it tricked out now."

He chuckled. "A blade in the forearm? That sounds interesting, but the mechanics necessary are-"

I pointed at a small contraption on the wall. "Press That Button, before you continue that statement."

He hummed, and walked over, pressing the button. He reared back as a long blade shot out of the small container, the metal going from coiled around a spring to perfectly straight and unbending, due to a small electrical charge, no magic necessary.

"There was no magic necessary in the creation of that. The Runes are there to make it electrocute those it stabs." I chuckled.

He nodded. "Impressive. I've never seen a Wolfram Blade before, but I admit it is ingenious, especially for a shocking blade. Silver would do as well,-"

"But it would also get too hot, because of its heat index, the highest of any natural metal, and either melt, or burn the user." I added dryly.

He blinked. "Aren't you fireproof?"

"My customers aren't."

He frowned. "True... but weapons like these in the hands of civilians..."

"I don't sell them to civilians, or even soldiers, only to the Expeditionaries. Moving on, I want to create some sort of genesis chamber, so I can throw the blades without worrying about collecting them afterwards." I hummed, looking at my materials.

"You mean like Instantaneous Alchemy? That's incredibly unstable!" He frowned.

"I've done it before, and it's stable if you use the right focusing spells... but it would need to be fast... and maybe programming it with the schematics for my arm would be helpful, so it would automatically repair any damage to it... good thing I used easy materials..." I grinned.

He chuckled, sitting down. "I feel like I'm in school again... Alright, then what's first?"

—

I grinned at the bracer, tightening the last, tiny screw, looking through all three of my layered lenses to see it, even with my Gifted sight. It hummed softly, a nearly silent vibration as the generators inside the folded space of the bracer began turning, building energy.

I placed it over my jacket sleeve, and laughed when it activated, a blue oval shield appearing, the same shape as the Sapphire I had placed in the generative line, to project the energy through. The gem was hollow, full of a liquid crystal version of itself, filled with Runes. Different gems would have different effects, I was sure of it, but for now, this one was perfect.

The Runes flowing freely over the surface were all for protection and stability, important in a shield, and also a secret one, hidden in the bracer, that was to eat the energy of anything that attacked it, halting its momentum instantly, and storing the energy inside the bracer's energy storage gems.

"Alright. Let's test her out." I held my arm out, so if the shield failed, it wouldn't hit me, either way.

Johann nodded, and set my Long Rifle against his shoulder, firing into the shield. The bullet halted, it's energy absorbed in a small pulse of white on the shield, then clattered to the ground, entirely whole. "I believe that's a success." He nodded.

"It is indeed..." I laughed, and deactivated it, merging the metal with the sleeve of my coat, giving it a bejeweled look, more ostentatious, but not suspicious-looking in the least. I placed the second one into the other sleeve, and nodded as they created a larger shield in front of me, merging seamlessly into a sort of dome of blue light, facing forward. It faded, and I nodded. "Now! How about that genesis Chamber?" I asked.

"Rune? You here somewhere?" Dashiva called.

"Workshop!" I whistled.

She stepped in, and blinked. "Oh! Hello, Lord Faequell! Sorry, I'm here to collect Rune for an expedition?"

"Ahh, I see. Yes, I forgot. I will excuse myself, then, if you'd send me home?" He glanced at me.

I hummed, and opened the portal for him, even though he knew how to open it. I supposed he didn't want people to know about that, just yet. "Sorry, I got a bit caught-up, working with him." I picked up the rifle, and then the pistol I planned to give to Devon, slipping both into my pocket.

She smiled. "It's nice to see you not breaking his jaw. Now let's go, the flyer is waiting to take us to the Sanctuary."

I smirked, and opened a mirror under her, then stepped through as well, into the flyer, which then fell through a much bigger mirror, above the temple meadow.

The pilots yelled, pulling up and barely missing the beanstalks, thankfully away from their fellows in the other flyers, and we set down on the roof, where they glared at me. "A little warning is nice!"

I shrugged. "Warnings are for wimps. Thanks for the flight, guys, totally great flying, I'm beat, so I'll be going now!" I waved, and laughed at their grumbled complaints, following Yeshiva and Dashiva towards the lift.

The inside of the mountain was much more fleshed out, now, with people living in it, and several floors filled with merchants from Ulfavir, some from Armada, some from the Gnome Village, a few map-makers, and more. I spotted a few Western Expeditionaries, in their traditional silken robes, longswords and bows on their backs and hips, and grinned excitedly. "Wow! We've got Westerners here now?!?" I asked.

Dashiva nodded. "One group, so far. Their Emperor is a bit wary about our intentions, but they are very good mages. Please don't piss them off."

"When have I ever done that?" I grinned, and leapt off the lift, landing in front of them gracefully.

They placed their hands on their weapons in sync, and then halted when I bowed cordially, and spoke in their language. "Hello and welcome, to the Sanctuary. I am Lord Rune Faequell, one of the founders of this Grand Endeavor for peaceful collaboration between the Islands. Also, as a Native of this great land, Ulfavir, I do admit a personal stake in your Emperor's continued support of the Sanctuary, and what it stands for."

Their leader hummed, and bowed back. "Greetings. While I enjoy your message, I must explain that the Emperor does not at this time lend his support to this Grand Endeavor, but that my family has sent us to test the waters, only. Perhaps, if our reports of fair treatment and equal opportunity are received, more will come. My name is Mèng Dian, and these are my cousins, Shinto, Hikaru, and Dolen." They bowed as he introduced them, and greeted me respectfully.

I nodded. "I understand your position, and apologize if I offended with my assumption. I hope, in the future, all four archipelago's will come to be represented here in some way, as a center for continued trade and exploration. As of now, however, I am on a schedule, and I must be going. Have a splendid day."

They smiled and nodded, then their eyes widened in shock as I stepped off the edge, and plummeted towards the lift, already six floors below, on the ground. I bent my knees, and took the cacophonous impact with a growl, as the platform shook, but didn't break. I had designed it to take far worse, after all.

Dashiva squeaked, and bumped into Devon, who raised an eyebrow. "Dramatic entrance, nicely done."

"See right through me, Why don't You?" I sighed faux-despairingly, and then chuckled. "Actually, it was a dramatic exit. I was talking to the westerners, and decided to give them heart attacks with my sudden exit."

She snorted. "Talking to them, huh? They've been ignoring most of us."

"Really? They have nothing but good things to say about you all... maybe it's a language barrier? I spoke their language, after all." I hummed.

She blinked, then groaned, facepalming. "Oh... shit, I totally forgot!!!"

"Ah, Yes. Good then, I was worried for a moment. Now, what's our mission?" I asked, moving forward.

"Rather simple, really: there's a group of pirates that are using the western shore as a base for their attacks on merchant ships in that area. The council figures taking the Pirates out will foster some more good will with the western Emperor." She explained, pulling out a large map.

I looked up at the group of westerners, and smirked. "And would bringing them along help that cause? After all, any report we give the westerners will be less than ideal... but a report from one of their respected noble families would be irrefutable fact."

Devon smiled. "That is True... do you think they would agree to come with us?"

"I'm sure I could try." I shrugged, and began walking up through the levels, until I found them again.

They glanced at me, sitting around a small table with a game board of some kind set up, and seemed to eye me for injuries.

"Hello, all, I hate to disturb you twice, but I have something of a request for you... I have just received word about a contract to deal with a group of pirates, on the western shore, and would like your attendance, in order to give a first-hand accounting to the authority you report to." I said simply.

They all looked at Mèng Dian, who nodded slowly. "This is of a kind as to the nature of our original mission as well, so we would like to accompany you, if you will have us." He bowed, and I returned it respectfully.

"Thank you. We leave immediately, if you have no further preparations to make." I nodded.