The Last Lands

CHAPTER 2- AMONGST THE STARS

Busco awoke from dreams of fire and smoke to the sound of wind and waves.

The net below his weight swung below him. The disorientation swirled in his head, his feet struggled to find the ground, and when they did, they hit the floorboards hard. He groped with wild hands, until the realisation had dawned; he wasn't in his dorm at the Astral Academy. He wasn't even on board the cursed Narwhal anymore. He was on land, albeit suspended a few feet above it.

The late morning air greeted him gently, the growing heat had made him already cast aside the scratching blanket he had curled up in at night. The shack was dark and empty, the hanging sheets over the doorways barring entry to the outside daylight.

Something was amiss though.

There was a shuffling noise at the end of his hammock, a noise he originally attributed to the dream of destruction and death that had plagued him since Master Se's death. There was something going through his belongings. He stared at the shuffling shadow, which froze, and his eyes adjusted, fear swimming to the top of his head.

There's an animal in here, trying to find food in my stuff! He thought, fighting to stay calm, until he heard it curse in a low voice.

It was no animal, but a figure, cast in darkness. It grabbed something from his bag, and moved quickly darting out of the sheet and onto the beach. Busco did not see who-or what-it was, for he was already in motion. Swinging himself out, throwing the blanket to the floor, not bothering to cover his near-naked body, and pursued the figure. In his haste, he failed to recognise Khol's bags strewn lazily along the floor, and tripped, falling face first into the sheet over the door. With a yelp he tumbled, pulling it down, and casting himself once more into darkness.

His covered head hit the sand hard, and it flew into his mouth and nose. Bright light turned red through his covered eyes, and he hacked and splattered, confused and very irritated. The sound of the wind grew louder, as did the raucous roar of laughter. Sitting up, he pulled the sheet over his head, squinting at the crowd in front of him.

“Hey, the princess is finally awake!” Said a familiar but distant voice.

The beach was as full and busy as it was the day before, when they first arrived. It was only an hour off of midday, and the day was in full motion. Except for Busco Quinn, of course. Some of the builders had stopped to laugh and gawk at him in his semi-naked state, and he felt a deep rise of heat filling his grey cheeks. Dead ahead of him, and the two causes of most of the laughter, was Khol, and someone Busco did not expect to see.

“Artie?” He asked incredulously, staring at his old friend.

“How you doin', Quinny?” Artifae Shajaestan asked cheerfully.

The same age as both Busco and Khol, Artifae was a slim figure, with dark features such as that of the Men of the West. His skin was well tanned all seasons round, his eyes were dark and full of mischief, but his smile was bright and full of life. His waving black hair was well-groomed, and as was the style of many who shared his culture, he was extremely well dressed despite the climate. A long leather coat hung over his shoulders, leaving his white long-sleeved shirt very visible, and his trousers were well kept. The only thing that had shown any weathering was his tall, dark boots, that were splattered with mud and dirt.

“What in X's name? What's going on here?” Busco asked panicked, as the crowd began to lose interest and returned to their labours.

In between the smug Artifae and giggling Khol, was a tall stick, and they had placed a pair of Busco's grey boxer shorts on top.

“Do you like it?” Artifae asked, as Khol continued to giggle, almost as if he was fighting to control a massive blast of laughter.

“We-we-we conquered the island for you!” Khol said in between giggles, and then sucking in a deep breath to calm himself down.

Busco stood up, angrily, and felt the sheet slide off of his legs, and hastily grabbed it, and pulled it around his waist, suddenly aware there were women too in the pulsing crowds. Trying to save face, he stormed angrily towards Artifae, feeling the energy instinctively draw to the tips of his fingers, ignoring the fact entirely his magic would not work on the coursing sand below. With fire burning in his eyes, he stood before the smiling Arti, who laughed heartily and hugged him tightly.

“Happy Fool's Moon!” He chirped.

Busco struggled, squeezed by the shorter friend.

“Oh man, it is so good to see you again!” He laughed, cheerily.

Initially shocked, Busco felt the tension rise, before melting away, and with his free hand clasped his friend, who chuckled pleasantly before letting go.

“Fool's Moon is tomorrow, you idiot.”

“What? It is?” Artie said scratching his head.

“Yeah, Quatro the 17th.” Busco said, somehow both smiling and frowning simultaneously.

“Besides, you're not meant to prank people until the evening or it's bad luck.” Khol added.

“You could have told me that before!" Artie said, playfully turning on the minotaur.

“I-I-I thought you knew!” Khol said defensively.

Artie looked between his two friends, smiling widely, and laughed boldly.

“Still, what a welcome to the island, huh? Not everyone gets one like that!”

He laughed again, slapping Busco lightly on the back.

“I didn't know you guys were here to visit li'l ol' me!” He said excitedly.

“Well, we didn't know you were here, either.” Khol said amicably.

“What are you doing here?” Busco asked directly.

He watched Artie squirm slightly, but his attention was drawn to the hulking great figure behind him.

“Shajaestan!” The Gorillon foreman barked, and Artifae winced. “Whatarrya doin' messin' round here?”

“Sorry Deniz,” Artifae said meekly. “Just chattin' with some old friends.”

“Do so on your own time, boy. I ain't payin' ya to chat up people in their under-pants.” Deniz growled.

He was a mighty figure, rivalling Khol for his size if not his height, and as with all Gorillons, walked awkwardly on his two hind-legs, with his two hulking arms swinging by his side. He wore faded and tattered dungarees, but no boots, despite the scorching sand that stabbed at Busco.

“An' you boys,” He said, firing a mean look first to Khol, then to Busco. “you better not be workin' for me, are ya?”

Busco shook his head automatically, and noticed Khol did the same, both intimidated and embarrassed. Deniz the foreman grunted and wandered past the crude flag.

“An' take that down an' all. The guv' is coming up with a flag for Ajiva as we speak.”

The trio watched him waddle off without another road, before Artifae and Khol both rushed to help the flag pole down. Busco snatched his underwear away and held it low, hoping no-one would notice what was in his hand.

“Ajiva?” Artifae asked, plainly confused, Busco was about to turn to head back into the shack, but hesitated.

“It does sound familiar.” He said, turning to Artie.

Khol tsked softly.

“Don't you guys remember anything?” He asked the pair, ignoring the wry glances they shot each-other. “It's a Montec word.” He said confidently, before hesitantly adding;

“I think.”

Busco scanned his memories for Ajiva and Montec, but frustratingly, struggled to come up with anything. Then a calm but authoritative voice spoke from behind him.

“Ajiva was the Montec goddess of light.” Master Gybalt had said, appearing with Sir Douglas by his side, climbing up the shingles towards them. “The governor has decided to name this new continent in her honour.”

“What's a Montec?” Artifae asked without thinking.

Master Gybalt did not reply, but sent a scrutinizing gaze towards him, as did Sir Douglas. Artifae looked puzzled, and kept silent.

“Master?” Khol said finally, breaking the observant silence. “You re-re-remember Artie? I mean- Artifae?”

“Artifae Shajaestan, sir.” He held out his hand, but Gybalt continued to stare into his eyes, as if he was examining his soul. “Good to see you again.” He added humbly.

Finally, Gybalt clasped his hand, but did not shake it.

“We've met?” He asked suspiciously.

“Artie was in our class.” Busco added, drawing Sir Douglas's gaze to him.

“Quinn, why are you naked?” The old knight asked, repainting the flush in Busco's cheeks.

“You are a student of the Astral Academy?” Gybalt asked mildly.

Khol snorted, but looked embarrassed when Artifae shot him a look of steel.

“No sir. I dropped out last year.”

“Why?”

Why? Because he can't do magic. Busco thought, but did not say anything. Artie shot him a guilty look. And he's too damn stupid to be a scholar there.

Artifae swallowed, and carefully thought out his answer.

“I'm not the studious type, sir.” He said with a flourishing grin. Gybalt contemplated this, still staring into his eyes.

“Mhm.” He murmured, before turning his attention to Busco and Quinn. “We're heading out in half an hour. Get some breakfast, and get some clothes on.”

Without another word or glance, Gybalt stepped into the shelter, as the three watched. Sir Douglas followed him slowly, before turning to Artifae.

“Better get back to work, lad. That foreman's got a temper as mean as any.” He walked off, but towards the jungle instead. Artifae turned and looked at the two, who all shrugged and smiled.

It is so good to see him again.

After a filling, but bland, bowl of sticky rice and dried fruit, Khol and Busco donned their robes, despite the heat that began to grow with each passing minute. The four convened, and set off for the same journey they made last night, but without Master Gybalt's crystal. By the time they had reached the same clearing where Busco had spotted the castle, silver streaks began to stain the blue sky. Away from the trees slightly, a breeze grew and caressed them. They took their break here once more, underneath the single, cloud-topped mountain.

“Master?” Khol asked after a deep swig of water. Gybalt turned around to face him. “Is this where the Montecs lived? In the old age?”

Gybalt chewed at some dried raisins and swallowed.

“Maybe. The Montecs themselves were actually far older than the old age. It's what people called the classic age.” He threw some more raisins into his mouth.

“Older than the old age? How old is that?” Busco asked, aware of how ridiculous the question sounded.

“Let's see.” Gybalt said, turning to stare at the clouds. “The New Age was said to have lasted four thousand, three hundred and twenty-two years, until last year, when it was discovered this new land had popped up, all of a sudden. They say the Old age was, I think, just under six thousand years, so the Classic Age must have been, ten thousand? Sir Aeinon? Is that right?”

“Don't look at me.” Sir Douglas said, chewing at some salt beef. “I'm not that old.”

The others chuckled politely, and the sounds of the jungle around them returned.

“So what happened to the Montecs?” Busco asked.

Gybalt shrugged.

“No-one knows.”

“There really wasn't any land except for New Peridios, Master? For all that time?” Khol asked.

“Do you remember ever hearing about any other lands?” He asked, almost mockingly.

“Then how did they find this place?” Busco asked.

“Supposedly the merchants got lost in a storm.” Sir Douglas said. “If it's a two week journey, then that must make it, what? A thousand miles?”

“One thousand, five hundred, according to Captain Rihlat.” Gybalt added, and Douglas nodded, returning to his tough beef snack.

“That does sound quite far.” Khol said, trying to sound more wizened that he actually was.

“In the grand scheme of things, it isn't really.” Gybalt said absently. “For thousands of years, sailors in the New Age have put it upon themselves to journey out and find the lands from the myths and legends of the Old Age.”

Gybalt looked up as silence slowly returned, and studied the darkening clouds.

“Looks like rain. Let's get a move on.” He and Sir Douglas stood up, and grabbed at their bags, and slowly, so too did Khol, but Busco was lost in thought.

“What happened to the lands, Master? What happened in the Old Age?” He asked lightly.

Master Gybalt turned around, and saw Khol and Sir Douglas talking as they moved forward through the brush. Busco expected the curt answer of no-one knows and to be told to get up and follow the others, but Gybalt instead spoke gently.

“You remember last night, when I said we're here to test a theory?”

Busco nodded with his mouth agape.

“The scholars and Knowledge Spirits at the Astral Academy will tell you; or anyone, for that matter, that the old lands flooded. Probably. There are very few beings old enough to remember the Old Age, even Eves don't live that long. They current hypothesis from scholars too nervous to actually come here, is that this is probably a new landmass, created from volcanic discharge and carrying seas. A few months ago, I might have believed the same; until I detected that castle appearing over there.”

"You detected it? How?"

Master Gybalt shrugged with a wry smile, betraying a confidence that was a fine line away from arrogance.

"I'm a Master of the Spatia tenet, Busco. It's my job to detect these things."

Busco continued to stare at his master with heavy confusion. Gybalt turned away back to the forest, then again to his student.

"Spatia magic is the power to traverse between energy. Teleportation, lodestones, you know this."

Busco nodded eagerly.

"There's no point in me having instruments to measure Spatia energy, because of how much transportation there is in New Peridios. It would just blink every time an elevator, a tram or a shifter-mobile is used. There are dedicated instruments to that in dedicated stations for people to monitor and check, but as an academic, that has no bearing on me,"

A glint in Master Gybalt's eyes began to form, and an exuberance filled his voice.

"What does interest me, is the coloration between these instruments and those for monitoring Balance magic. You are aware of what that means?"

"The Balance tenet is about drawing magic from other dimension or planes." Busco said as if reading from his old books.

"Correct. An almost extinct tenet of magic, until recently."

Busco cocked an eyebrow, enthralled.

"For almost all of the New Age, Balance users have only been able to utilise the dimensional energies previously stored in artefacts or spirit-orbs. Your previous teacher, Master Se, was a follower of this tenet too, as you'll remember."

Busco blinked helplessly as sweat began to drop into his eye, the salt stinging him. He held onto the pain, using it as an anchor as he began to drift away.

"Something she told me before her...accident." Master Gybalt said carefully, watching as Busco clenched his fists. "Was how the instruments in their study corelated with the ones in ours. There were flashes and measurements of different objects arriving on Aerth, appearing. It took us some time to realise what it was that was happening.

“What are you saying, Master?” Busco asked hoarsely.

“I don't believe the lands of old were lost, Busco.” Gybalt said with finality. “I think they were hidden.”

Busco silently grabbed his belongings, his head swimming with anxious thought. Master Gybalt silently went to follow the trail the other two, but gave a glance back to Busco, and studied him with his curious eyes. There was a noise in the air.

There were voices shouting, and Gybalt and Busco sent a quick glance to one another, before barrelling after the two. They could hear the indistinct sounds of Sir Douglas yelling, and another, unfamiliar voice. The two were propelled forwards, leaves and vines whipping at them sharply. There was a louder, crashing sound of something moving through the foliage. It was coming straight at them.

Khol charged from the thick jungle ahead of them in a panic, and barged into Master Gybalt with a mighty strike. Master Gybalt cried out, and was sent flying backwards, almost into Busco's arms, and hit the ground heavily.

“Oh my X” Khol said with barely a breath. “I am so sorry, I am s-s-so sorry Master!” He pleaded, barely holding back tears.

Matser Gybalt stared up at the canopy in a daze. Blood poured from his nose and mouth, and he mumbled something. Busco tapped him gently on the cheek.

“Master? Are you okay?” He asked, concerned. The shouting from ahead continued. “Khol? What the Hel is going on?”

He watched Khol stammer, looking back to where he came. Busco sighed, and pulled Gyablt's surprisingly light body to their feet, and helped him follow the tearful Khol quickly back to where Sir Aeinon was.

The jungle thinned here, slightly, and below an outcrop of grey rocks, was Sir Douglas, impatiently sheathing his sword and grimacing. When he saw the others arrived, he gasped and walked over to see Master Gybalt.

“What the Hel happened?” He said, examining his broken nose. Khol and Busco merely shrugged, and Gybalt gurgled, still coming to.

Busco went to help the Master down to the ground again, when he locked eyes on the other speaker he had heard, a woman. She was of the Desert-Eves; tall and thin, with dusky skin and golden eyes. Her thick black hair was tied in two places, and fell down towards her back. She was adorned in a denim jacket, with sleeves rolled up to reveal thin wrists adorned in golden bangles. Her black trousers were tight, covered in dirt and several small tears, and her boots were muddy. On her head and above her long, pointed ears was a tan, wide-brimmed hat, similar to the style of the Men from the West, albeit without a coloured plume. Below her bright eyes was an uneasy smile, and her hands were still up,-presumably, due to Sir Douglas's commands-but began to descend gracefully. She looked at the Nocterran helping down an East-man with a bloody nose.

“Uhh...hi?” She said awkwardly.

Khol, Busco and Sir Douglas redirected their attention towards her. Busco gave Sir Douglas a concerned look, but he did not seem alarmed.

“It's alright. She just gave us a bit of a scare, that's all.” Sir Duncan said.

The Eve snorted.

“That's an understatement.” She said joyfully. “I thought I'd just about made you shi-”

Master Gybalt mumbled slightly, resting on the dirt below. He shook his head and blinked furiously, and the world seemed to make sense to him again.

“What happened here?” Sir Douglas asked Busco seriously, but Busco only gave Khol a look that made him blush beneath his furry cheeks.

“That-that was me. Sorry sir. Sorry Master. I bumped into him when I tried to find them.” He responded guiltily.

Sir Douglas sighed heavily, and bent to help Master Gybalt up as he began to awaken as he found his legs again, and wiped the blood from beneath his nose with a hand, as Sir Douglas endeavoured to find a handkerchief from his satchel.

“What's going on here? Who are you?” Busco asked the Evean woman, who had dropped her hands to her sides.

“Oh, I was just out exploring. Got a little bit lost.” She spoke confidently, stretching her chest and neck out. “Say, any of you guys got any spare food?”

Now that Busco had time to notice her, he could see she didn't have a back-pack or any other belongings with her. Khol looked her the type of adorning interest only a sixteen year old seeing an attractive woman can muster, before snapping to his senses and rummaging for his satchel.

“You didn't think to bring any supplies with you?” Busco asked.

Khol had found a fairly stale bread roll, and held it aloft like some great relic he had discovered, and he handed it to her eagerly.

“Well, I did have some food and water with me,” She said, studying the roll gratefully. “But, I sort of, kind of, ran into some trouble.”

“What kind of trouble?” Khol asked, watching her swallow a solid bite of bread.

“Something up in the mountains.” She said, struggling to swallow the stale bread. “Sorry love, do you have some water I can have?”

She pulled a face, not noticing Khol blushing a deeper read, and frantically reaching for his water-skin and handing it to her. She washed the bread down and thanked him with a shining smile. Busco was worried for a second she might give the poor boy a heart-attack.

“What kind of trouble?” Busco repeated cautiously.

“Oh, I ran into a monster.” She said, all too casually.

“And you didn't think to bring a weapon?” Sir Douglas asked sternly, having helped clean Master Gybalt's face, who now bathed his hand from under his water-skin and applied it vigorously to his nose.

The Eve took another bite, and thought carefully.

“No, I didn't think I'd need one.” She said flatly, as Busco could see a vein beginning to bulge on Sir Douglas's neck.

“You've arrived on a new land-mass, exploring a jungle that potentially no other humanoid has been on in thousands of years, and you didn't think there would be other creatures here? You didn't think you might need a sword?” He asked, the anger rising to the base of his throat.

She merely shrugged innocently, and continued to eat. Busco felt something drip on his shoulder.

The grey skies above had encompassed the sky, and had slowly begun to drop their wares upon them. The others noticed too.

“C'mon, we better get moving, we can find shelter under the canopy if the weather gets too bad.” Sir Douglas barked.

Khol and Busco adjusted their belongings and prepared to move out.

“Thanks for the bread, love. I'm Sareta. What's your name?”

Khol began to stammer, and Busco found himself unable to look away from the awkward scene.

”I'm K-k-Khol.” He said, attempting to deepen his voice, and she gave him a warm smile. “What's your name?” He asked stupidly.

She looked from the left to the right, trying to process the situation.

“I'm Sareta.” She repeated, somewhat confused.

Busco snorted with laughter, and Khol gave him a wild look.

“Alright, enough of this.” Sir Douglas boomed. “Camp's back that way.” He nodded vaguely back the way they came. “Keep heading west until you hear the ocean, you'll find it eventually.”

“Wait, can't I come with you?” She asked.

“Absolutely not.” Master Gybalt said, finally bringing himself into the world with them. He did not give her an explanation why, and walked towards the heavy jungle. She looked deflated.

“We can't just leave her here.” Khol said.

Sir Douglas stopped and gave them an apologetic look.

“Sir Aeinon, she doesn't have a weapon to defend herself with. What if there is a m-monster out there?”

“What if there is a monster out there, and she becomes a liability? We can't risk it. She can make her own way back to camp.”

“Oh, please, sir, I've been lost since this morning! I won't get in the way, I promise.” She said earnestly, smiling into Sir Douglas's weary eyes. He sighed.

“Fine, but she's your charge, Groken. I don't want anyone getting hurt because you got in the way, got it?” He asked her seriously, and she nodded in kind.

He turned to follow Master Gybalt, and Khol let her pass before him, and Busco wandered mockingly towards him.

“Smooth.” He said, uncomfortably loud, prompting a swift push from Khol's heavy hands.

Master Gybalt pushed forwards ahead of them, through the thick vegetation, but stopped abruptly.

“Sir Aeinon, is this the right way?” He asked quietly, and the trail behind him slowed.

“I think so. Is it dark enough to see the crystal in here?” He asked, and the two looked up, as the crystalline droplets began to increase in intensity. The silver shroud above enveloped the sky above the green leaves, and daggers of silver light stabbed through the canopy.

“Hmm. Not quite. We could keep going, but I don't want to encircle ourselves.”

Back at the end of the line, Busco and Khol had both pulled up their hoods to avoid the irritation of droplets splashing on their faces. Khol's horns peeked out from under it, the droplets forming up on the points and dropping neatly down. Busco studied the two wizened mentors at the front, and then Sareta, who had hugged her arms together. The air had cooled, but it was by no means cold, so he could only assume she hugged herself out of comfort and protection. Busco studied her carefully, and could not imagine someone less suited to this environment.

“Sareta, right?” He asked, breaking the silence, and she turned to look at him, with more than a little a fear in her eyes. The golden irises took up most of her eyes, as typical for Eves. There were no red pits in the corners of them like most humans had, and her nose was small and pointed, but home to large nsotrils.

“I'm Busco.” He said carefully, not feeling the same rise of embarrassment that his friend had. “What are you doing out here?”

“Oh you know, exploring.” She answered, flashing a quick smile.

“No, no,” Busco said. “What I mean is, why are you here? By yourself?” He asked, with perhaps a little bit more intensity than he had planned.

She clenched her shoulder muscles together and looked down.

“I don't know. I just wanted to see the world a little bit.” She gave him another one of her easy smiles. “See what's outside of Arnesfeld, you know?”

Well, that explains it. He thought, accidentally letting a scoff slip out his mouth, causing her to look at him with some concern. A rich kid, trying to escape from overprotective parents. Of course, he might have been making a bitter, envious assumption, but in the four-thousand years of existence that New Peridios had enjoyed, he had never heard of a poor person living in Arnesfeld.

“So, how long have you been here? On the island?” Khol asked, and Busco didn't think to correct him.

“Oh, I got here the other day. On a boat called the Narwhal. At first it was terribly exciting, but after a while, I couldn't wait to be back on solid ground.”

Busco and Khol both chuckled.

“Yeah, us too.” Busco said.

“So, why did you come out here alone? In the jungle?” Khol asked, oblivious to everything in the world that was not her eyes.

“Oh, you know, I was so excited to be here, finally, I thought I'd have myself a little adventure. Did you see that mountain?” She jerked her head up in a rough approximation of where it sat. The boys both nodded.

“I had this idea in my head that I could climb to the top of it, and watch the sunset from it, but it's getting dark and I haven't even found the bottom of it.” She said sadly.

Busco was stunned.

“Wait, you thought you could get to the top of a mountain and back in one day?” He asked, aghast.

Busco had never seen a mountain before either, but he was sure such a feat was impossible. Sareta shrugged innocently, still smiling.

“But...” Khol began. “wouldn't that be cold? And-and, you wouldn't be able to see if there were any monsters or anything.”

“Well, honestly, I didn't expect there to be any monsters, until I ran into that one earlier.” She said plainly enough, but suddenly realised the severity in the two boys eyes.

“I don't know.” She said defensively. “I romanticised it a bit, I admit it. I just couldn't help picturing the sunset from so far up high, and the walk back. Just me. Alone. No light pollution, no noise, no anything. Just me and the mountain, amongst the stars.”

Busco and Khol glanced at each other, just as Sir Douglas and Master Gybalt stomped their way back through the foliage.

“Alright, we've lost our way a bit.” Said Master Gybalt, assuming control of the situation once again. “Do either of you recall which direction the castle was in?”

“The castle?” Sareta asked, full of confused wonder.

The boys shook their heads silently, and Gybalt nodded accordingly.

“Right.” He said, pulling at his black robes from the collar, now covered in dirt and speckles of blood.

He reached in, and grunted with pain, immediately retracting his hand, which had a small bead of blood in the palm. The colour drained from his face.

“Oh no.” He said quietly reaching in again and pulling at the locket.

“What is it?” Asked Sir Douglas.

Master Gybalt did not reply, but carefully pulled the locket out, or what was left of it. The metal box was crumpled, and the violet crystal had been shattered, and much of it lost. The colour drained from Khol's face too. Master Gybalt tried to salvage what was left of the crystal. The purple shards fell through his fingers and clattered to the rocks below. He remained silent, but his and the others all lifted their stare to focus on the very bashful Khol.

“Oh my X.” Khol said quietly, lifting his massive hands to cover his mouth. “Master, I am so sorry.”