Chapter 1 - The Council

The Explorer dropship eased on to the gravel landing pad. It was surrounded by rolling plains of tall crimson grass with the occasional dark gray stone rising from the ground. The deafening propellers hummed to a stop and the wind in the grass sounded like an ocean wave.

With a click and a hiss, the ramp at the back of the ship began to lower and cool morning light cut into the dim hull.

“It’s way too early for this,” M’natherine yawned.

“Remind me again why you decided to come?” Marcus gave her a sidelong glance. “We both know that formal meetings aren’t exactly your strong suit.”

“It was this or help clean up the mess back at headquarters.” M’natherine shrugged, her violet eyes scanning the crimson grasslands. “What do you reckon the council wants this time?”

“I have my suspicions,” Marcus answered.

As they walked down the ramp, they were met by a party of armed guards. In one hand, they held tall silver spears made of a single piece of twisted and sharpened metal. Their other hand rested on a holstered blunderbuss. Their armor was a combination of dark leather and red lacquered plates. On their backs were flowing red capes and a slim silver shield.

“First class Explorer Marcus Durane,” said a guard stepping forward and offering a small bow. “First class Explorer M’natherine Vander.” He bowed to her as well. “Right this way.”

The procession of guardsmen began marching them down a path of pale gravel that cut through the grass and straight towards a massive stone the size of a convention center. It was embedded in the ground at a tilted angle, with moss growing across its corners and edges.

At the base of the stone was a rectangular entrance. There were no doors, it was just an opening chiseled into the rock and forming a hallway into a large circular council chamber. The floor, the walls, and the ceiling were all a rough but consistent texture. Millions of little divots from ancient tools.

Upon entering the chamber, the guards split into two lines and stood by the wall on either side of the entrance. Marcus and M’natherine continued to the center of the room, an upraised circular platform. Facing them was a pair of tables that built a disconnected half circle, and the twelve faces that sat at them.

Each of the council members wore a red piece of clothing, each piece representing a culture or style from their home island. One of them, a bald man with sepia skin and a simple red robe stood and reached his arms out in greeting.

“Welcome, brother Marcus, sister M’natherine,” Councilman Mayru spoke. The colorful earrings piercing his lobes clinked as he sat back down. “It has been far too long since we last saw each other.”

“Indeed, it has,” Marcus said with a small bow of his head. “It is a privilege to be invited to speak with the Council of the East.”

“Wassup?” M’natherine tilted her chin up in greeting.

“Now,” Mayru smiled and clasped his hands together. “As much as it would please me to spend time catching up on your many expeditions and adventures, we did call you here with a specific purpose in mind.” Mayru made a quick glance to either side, as if acknowledging his fellow counselors.

“It is our job as the council of the East to come together as ambassadors. We communicate with one another in hopes that we can not only fellowship in peace but do so in a way that preserves the culture and history of each island. We do this of course, because during the Breaking many islands were severed from their realm, their place in time, be it past, present, future, or… otherwise.”

“We seek to preserve the peace that was so difficult to craft in the wake of such chaos. You, members of the Explorer’s Guild, are our sword, our truest defenders. When the East was in chaos, it was the brave Explorer’s who arose. The Explorers of old fought and died to connect and understand the new world that we live in…” Mayru trailed off, and his brow became wrinkled with concern.

“In light of your predecessors,” Mayru continued, clearing his throat. “Perhaps you understand our concern when we hear speakings, rumors, of the Oasis. A fragment of it having been found. A fragment of it having been lost.”

“Right, what was all of that about eh?” Asked a gruff silver haired man with tanned skin and a thick but well-kept beard. He wore a thick leather coat and, in his fingers, toyed with a small brass gear. Councilman Banner. “I thought we’d collected all of the Oasis fragments.”

“We were under that impression,” Marcus answered. “We had a team check the Valley of Wyte, and they found nothing. My initial thought is that the frost dragon inhabiting the valley found it sometime after our search, they are more sensitive to magical things after all.”

“My understanding is that a little girl found it,” snorted Councilwoman Verbena. A tall pale woman in a plunging silk dress. She had long white hair that trailed down her body like water. Her face was long, angular, and her golden eyes worked over the two Explorer’s like they were fascinating objects. “Do tell.”

“Maralyn Rayne,” Marcus said. “She’s the newest member of the guild, and fourteen years old. We got a call from Old York law enforcement reporting that a girl had gone to the valley in search of the spark. I personally responded to the call, along with an experienced team. However, by the time we got there, the Oasis Spark had already been found and lost.”

“So, the girl did find it,” Banner grumbled. “How did she lose it?”

“She ran into a certain self-proclaimed adventurer,” M’natherine chimed in with a smile. “I’ll give you two guesses, but I bet you’ll only need one.”

“David Echoe…” was the name murmured amidst the council. There were a variety of expressions on their faces. Annoyance, surprise, even a couple looks of reluctant amusement.

“And what does young David wish to do with an Oasis Spark?” Mayru asked.

“We’re not sure exactly what he’s planning,” Marcus answered. “This is bigger than anything we’ve seen him do before. Soon after he stole the spark from Rayne, he was caught breaking into the guild headquarters and using our database. He was looking for someone, we don’t know who, but we’re working to find out.”

“Intriguing,” Verbena murmured as she leaned back in her chair and rested her chin against slender fingers, long nails painted red. Her eyes glanced across the room to another man. He was old, with messy gray hair and spectacles. He wore a lab coat, wrinkled in a dozen places and perhaps singed in a few.

“What are your thoughts, Stanley?” Verbena asked.

He kept scribbling. Muttering to himself. Probably hadn’t been paying attention to anything. He shuffled some papers, licking a finger and flicking through some of them.

“Stanley!”

“What?!” Stanley jumped up, startled, his spectacles now crooked on his nose. “What… oh. The Oasis Spark, right?” He didn’t wait for confirmation before searching through his stack of pages. “Right… Right… Okay. I see…”

“What is it that you see, brother Stanley?” Mayru asked.

“I do believe that the boy is looking for a connection,” Stanley said, still perusing. “It’s rather obvious.”

“No,” Banner growled. “It’s not obvious.”

“Now look, I’m no wizard, of course,” Stanley chuckled at that like it was a joke, but no one was laughing. “Of course, I’m not a wizard because they all disappeared before the breaking, but I am a scientist. I do like studying magical accumulators. Magic, and its use are primarily based off of one thing and that is connection.”

“Yes,” Verbena sighed. “We understand that it requires a connection, but what does that actually mean?”

“Magic is something that flows in and around all things,” Stanley explained. His spectacles were still crooked, and wobbled on his nose in precarious fashion, but he made no move to fix them. “There is a connection to magic in each of us, a familiarity with something that is… not quite divine, not quite spiritual, but it stands alongside them in nature. We can for example, develop deeper spirituality through things such as meditation, religious lifestyle, even of course mushrooms.” He giggled at that. He was probably speaking from experience. “When I speak of a connection it could be many different things, but the best example I have is this. What makes a house a home? A house is of course wood, rock, and stone. A home is time, memories, emotions, and that is what the magic draws upon. Wizards of old would cultivate relationships, connections with the world around them and use magical accumulators to perform great feats.”

“That’s weird,” M’natherine grinned. “I like it.”

“Point is,” Stanley waved her off, “that when you think about the Oasis Spark it could be used as a magical accumulator, but why wouldn’t any old accumulator crystal do? Why this one specifically?”

“Because it has a connection to Alkania.” Verbena’s eyes narrowed. “How does a crystal develop a connection?”

“Magic spends time in a place,” Stanley answered. “It wafts about and touches everything around, its tapped into by individuals using its power. In the case of the Oasis Spark, it is the central power source of the city, it touched everything. It was connected to everything.”

The room fell silent.

“David wants to connect to Alkania,” Banner said, his eyes wide. “What would happen if he did that?”

“Well,” Stanley thought for a moment. “Perhaps you could look into the past, get visions of what happened.” He chuckled again. “I mean theoretically you could summon the entire city.”

Silence again.

“What exactly do you mean… summon the city?” Verbena’s face blanched.

“Well, Alkania disappeared didn’t it? Theoretically… you could just… bring it back.” Stanley blinked. “Due to the nature of time, and you know I’d really have to run some calculations to be sure, but it is possible that you could summon Alkania from the breaking. The very day it disappeared.”

“But it would be destroyed, correct?” Verbena asked.

“Possibly.” Stanley shrugged.

“Or perhaps it arrives with a full-fledged war going on,” Banner said, his voice quiet.

“Also a possibility.” Stanley looked around at the somber faces. “I mean, yes it is, but I’m not quite sure the boy has a connection to the city, certainly not one strong enough to pull it through time. A house isn’t a home, remember?”

“Right,” Marcus said. “But what if he’s looking for someone who does?”

More murmurs echoed around the room. Council members conferring to one another, some shaking their heads in disapproval.

“My brothers and sisters,” Mayru stood up again, raising his hands to call everyone to attention. “There is another matter, connected to this, that must be addressed.” He gestured to Councilman Banner, who looked less than happy to deliver whatever news he had. He stood up and stroked his beard before speaking.

“I’ve been keeping an eye on the eastern bakiri tribes.” He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in. “After the Breaking, the bakiri not a part of the attack went into hiding. No one’s seen much of them in the last decade or two... until recently. I’ve had reports from fishermen, and sailors that they’ve seen creatures resembling the bakiri moving around the Severed Mountain.”

“Do we know if they’re migrating?” Mayru asked. “Warmer seas?”

“Not sure,” Banner responded. “We’re actively working on getting someone out there to keep an eye out full time, just to observe. However, I do not think any of this is coincidence. There are too many forces revolving around Alkania.”

“It’s all coming to a head...” Verbena mused. “And we all know who the driving factor is. David is trying to do something, and my fear is that if he accomplishes what he aims to do, then we’re going to find ourselves with another breaking. The islands- I don’t think they can handle something like this.”

“Agreed,” Banner said sharply, and one by one, the other council members murmured their agreements. The only one who didn’t speak was Mayru, he leaned forward in his chair, and his eyes were looking at the two Explorers.

“It seems,” he said. “That the council has decided. The boy David Echoe is to be apprehended. Make it a priority. We don’t want anyone to get hurt. This could affect every single island in the East.”

Marcus bowed, and M’natherine nodded her head, throwing the council a peace sign, and leaving. They left the council room, a flurry of murmurs and discussion in their wake. As they entered the hall, the guardsmen stomped into line behind them, escorting them back out.

“So,” M’natherine asked quietly amidst the crunch of gravel beneath marching feet. “I think we’re missing something here.”

“I believe that missing piece could be the Guardian,” Marcus replied. “We don’t know what his part in all of this is. Right now, though, I agree with the council. David’s gone too far, and we have to find him.”

A smile caught the edge of his mouth. “Just wait till Rayne finds out.”