As Vivienne’s gaze remained locked on the pillar, the stone beneath their feet trembled slightly. A low rumble echoed through the ruins, like the distant groan of an ancient door unlocking. Without warning, a small compartnt within the pillar’s base slid open with a sharp chanical hiss. A sleek, weathered box—crafted from so dark tal, engraved with intricate runes—erged slowly from the recess, hovering for a mont as though suspended by invisible hands.
The box shimred faintly, the carvings on its surface glowing in response to the energy coursing through the ruins. It hovered in the air before gently descending to the ground, landing with a soft thud, the lid facing upward.
Vivienne’s eyes flicked toward it, her tail twitching with restrained excitent. “Well, well, what do we have here?”
Rava stepped forward cautiously, her ears flicked back with unease, though her expression remained calm. “Don’t touch it just yet,” she muttered as she approached the strange box, eyeing the glowing runes that traced its surface.
“I wasn’t planning to,” Vivienne said with an amused smirk, her coils shifting slightly as she settled into place. “Not without arms at least. Go on, Rava. It’s all yours.”
Elira glanced between them nervously but stayed silent. Rava knelt beside the box, carefully inspecting the runes before placing her free hand on the lid. Nothing happened. She hesitated for a mont, then, with a slow exhale, she lifted the lid.
Inside was a single, rolled scroll bound with a simple leather cord. Rava furrowed her brow, her fingers brushing over the scroll before picking it up. “A scroll? That’s it?”
Vivienne’s eyes narrowed, her tail flicking in curiosity. “That’s... disappointing. I was expecting sothing more dangerous—or valuable.” She slithered a little closer, her gaze fixed on the box. “Doesn’t it seem like it was ant to hold sothing else? Look at the way the interior’s shaped—it’s fitted for sothing larger.”
Rava inspected the inside of the box more closely, her fingers tracing the grooves along its sides. The compartnt was deeper than it seed, lined with strange, silvery material that shimred faintly under the dim light of the chamber. There was a distinct impression in the center—almost like a cradle for a spherical object.
“Yeah,” Rava agreed, holding up the scroll. “This thing doesn’t match the compartnt. Whatever used to be in here… it’s gone.”
Elira stepped closer, peering into the empty box. “Maybe soone got here before us and took it. Left the scroll as a warning—or a clue.”
Vivienne’s lips curled into a thoughtful smile. “Or they didn’t leave it. Maybe the box itself swapped its contents when it activated. This place reeks of ancient artifice—nothing would surprise .”
“Let’s see what’s on this,” Rava said, untying the cord and unfurling the scroll.
Hey Rara!
If you’ve gotten this far, I assu you found the token I had made for you and took it to that absolutely delightful talsmith.
If you’re not Rara... well, congratulations on solving my little puzzle anyway. But I’m fairly certain it’s my adorable little sister reading this right now.
So, why the letter? I’ve co across sothing important—potentially ga-changing—for the war. I’ve been traveling through the Sovereignty’s lands for months, and things feel... off. Nothing I can confirm yet, but sohow, they’ve figured out how to create aetherbeasts. Not the wild, uncontrollable kind we’ve seen before—no, these are obedient. They’re weak for now, but there are a lot of them. If they crack the secret to producing stronger ones, we could be looking at a serious problem.
I’ve also noticed troop movents—too many to be a coincidence. My guess is they’re planning to strike just before winter. It doesn’t make sense; the cold hits them harder than it does us. Unless... they’ve got sothing new up their sleeve.
And here’s the kicker—I’ve been discovered. I’m currently being hunted by one of Praxus’ champions. Turns out he has three of them. Normally, I’d be geeking out over this revelation, but it’s hard to stay excited when you’re sprinting for your life.
The one after is nad Alisara Velthie. She’s nearly as tall as you, with golden hair and these strange, almost glowing eyes. I got an uncomfortably close look at her when she and her cohort nearly caught . She’s a celestial exomancer, and from what I saw, a powerful one—definitely out of my league in raw strength.
Thankfully, they didn’t expect to have so many other affinities. That’s how I managed to escape... barely.
I also got a little help along the way from so old friends! One is called Elira, and the other is Ivor. Elira’s sharp-witted, always quick with a coback, and Ivor’s got that kind of stoic charm that makes teasing him way too fun. I had to go ahead without them, but I left another trail for them to follow/. So if you see them, tell them hi from ! They’re good people—you can trust them.
Anyway, why did I lead you into these ruins? Here’s where things get interesting. I... may have dipped into so prophecy, and it pointed straight to you. You’ve got sothing with you—sothing unusual. I don’t know what it is exactly because, strangely enough, it’s like there’s a void clinging to you. A nothingness. And that’s fascinating... and also terrifying.
Whatever that nothingness is, it’s dangerous. But if I’m right—and I usually am—it might also be the key to countering whatever Aegis is planning.
Ah, the fun part about prophecy and foresight... always vague, always leaving just enough out to keep things interesting. I don’t know all the answers, Rara. I just know that whatever’s ahead of you is going to matter. Big ti. And knowing you, you’ll figure it out before I do.
I found sothing interesting in the ruins to the north of Thalrynn. Well north by northwest. It’s about six days from the charming coastal city. I should visit my friends there again soti soon
Stay safe or Mother dearest will kill if I get you maid on one of my errands.
Love you so so so much, even if you aren’t Rara.
—Tarric
P.s: Don’t go into the main chamber, there is a giant automaton and even I don’t want to fight it. Just keep to the secret passage you went through
Rava’s eyes narrowed as she read the last line again. Her grip on the parchnt tightened, and her tail twitched in irritation. Slowly, she looked around at the others, who were still catching their breath after the brutal fight with the sentinel. Sparks fizzled from shattered bits of the automaton strewn across the stone floor, its towering fra reduced to smoldering scrap.
Vivienne leaned casually against a broken piece of the automaton’s arm, wiping dust off her claws. “So, darling, what’s our dear Tarric got to say? Bet it’s sothing useful.”
Rava let out a long, slow exhale, forcing herself to stay calm. “He says... don’t go into the main chamber. There’s a giant automaton we should avoid.”
Vivienne blinked. “I see. And, ah, which way did we co through?”
“The main chamber,” Rava growled, voice low and dripping with frustration.
Elira snorted despite herself. “Sounds like Tarric alright. Always just a little late with the useful advice.”
“We did handle it,” Ivor said with a grunt. “Eventually.”
“Barely,” Rava muttered, glancing at the deep gashes in her armor. “We almost got ourselves flattened.”
Vivienne waved a hand dismissively, her lips curling into a playful smile. “Oh, co now. It wasn’t that bad. We’re still standing, aren’t we?” With a casual flick of her tail, she nudged the head of the broken sentinel, sending it tumbling to the side with a tallic thud. “And look, our giant tal friend here isn’t. I’d say we ca out on top.”
Rava raised an eyebrow, her gaze shifting toward Vivienne. “Your arm’s still missing and bleeding in your other forms, Viv. I don’t know if I’d call that ‘coming out on top.’”
Vivienne tilted her head, unbothered, and flashed Rava a mischievous grin. “Tis but a flesh wound!” she declared with a dramatic flourish, completely at ease. “I think if I find sothing to eat, it might fix itself. If not… well, I’m out of ideas.” She sohow gave a theatrical shrug, despite being a giant snake, as though she weren’t seriously concerned.
“I am surprised we haven’t seen any aetherbeasts in this ruin,” Ivor muttered, his eyes scanning the ruins around them, alert as always. “Sothing this active should have plenty of them lurking around. Usually, ruins like these attract them.”
Vivienne tilted her head thoughtfully, her tail swaying gently behind her as she studied the walls around them. “There isn’t a pull here, so I’m not surprised,” she said matter-of-factly.
Ivor furrowed his brow, glancing over at her. “A pull?” he repeated, his confusion evident. “What do you an by that? How would you know?”
Vivienne paused, her lips curling into a slight smile as she t Ivor's curious gaze. “Because I am an aetherbeast,” she said with an air of nonchalance, as though the answer should have been obvious.
Ivor scratched the back of his head, still processing what she’d said. “Usually, aetherbeasts are wild, dangerous, and unintelligent....”
“And delicious! Don’t forget delicious,” Vivienne added with a mischievous grin. “I’m an exception, of course. Though, we did et another exception before… I wonder if that one had anything to do with what Tarric ntioned in his note.”
Rava cleared her throat, pulling their focus back to the matter at hand. “Regardless, we should leave. We have more traveling to do.”
With little more discussion, they began their search for the passage Tarric had ntioned. It didn’t take long—after a brief sweep of the surrounding area, Ivor spotted an unassuming crack in the wall that led into a narrow, shadowy corridor. Scratched into the stone just inside the entrance was a familiar symbol, one that only Rava recognized. Tarric’s handiwork. He’d clearly left it as a guide for her.
Without hesitation, they pressed on. The passage was tight and winding, forcing Vivienne to revert to her base form to fit through the cramped space. Her crystalline horns scraped faintly against the walls as they moved, echoing in the otherwise silent tunnel. Despite the occasional protest from Vivienne’s tail when it got wedged between jagged rocks, they made steady progress.
After what felt like an eternity of twisting through the dimly lit corridor, they finally erged from the ruins. The air outside was cold and crisp, a welco change from the stale atmosphere of the passage. In the distance, the steppes stretched endlessly before them, its quiet serenity broken only by the occasional rustle of grass.
They made their way back to camp, the sun casting long shadows over the golden grasses of the windswept steppes. The wagon stood sturdy and solitary in the open expanse, its weathered fra creaking faintly in the evening breeze. Kivvy was at the back, crouched over a tangled ss of wires and gears, her tools scattered around her. The occasional spark flickered as she adjusted sothing with a small wrench.
Hearing their approach, she perked up, poking her head out with a bright grin. “Find anything interesting?”
“I wrestled a giant robot!” Vivienne announced grandly, lazily coiled on the dry grass. Her scales shimred faintly in the waning sunlight, and her tail flicked dramatically for emphasis.
“Robot?” Kivvy asked, raising an eyebrow.
“She ans an automaton,” Rava clarified as she plopped down onto a flat rock by the campfire ring—empty for now. She stretched her legs out and rolled her shoulders. “Several tis taller than .”
Kivvy’s eyes widened. “Oh, neat! I wish I could’ve seen it.”
Vivienne gave her a sly grin. “It cut off my arm, and now, whenever I switch back to my humanoid form, it won’t stop bleeding.” She sounded far too amused for soone dealing with a potentially life-threatening problem.
Kivvy froze mid-motion, staring at Vivienne with a mixture of fascination and horror. “Uh, maybe I’m glad I stayed back, then.”
Vivienne huffed, flicking the tip of her tail dismissively. “Well, darlings, I’m off to hunt sothing. Maybe a hearty al will fix this. If not, I suppose I’ll just stay a snake forever. How tragic.”
Rava raised an eyebrow. “Try not to pick a fight with anything larger than yourself.”
“Oh, don’t worry, dear,” Vivienne said with a smirk as she began slithering off into the distance. “I’ll make sure it’s exactly my size.”
Kivvy watched her go before glancing at Rava. “Is she serious?”
“Always,” Rava muttered, rubbing her temples. “But sohow, she’s still alive, so I’ve stopped questioning it.”
Kivvy sighed, returning to her tinkering. “Figures. I can rebuild busted artifice, but bleeding snake-woman magic problems? Not my field.” She tightened a bolt with a final twist, muttering under her breath. “Would it kill her to have a normal injury for once?”
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