The Empty Construct

Having changed, Iliana strolled down the hallway to an elevator. She was wearing light armour, and a long, high collared black coat. Her gun was slung over her shoulder, and if one looked closely they could see the words ‘Jin Aur’ carved into the side. As she walked, she wondered about Valen. He couldn't possibly be fully Fae. It just didn't seem right. He did really giggle like her mother, though. Iliana's lips curved upwards as she compared them side by side in her mind. Who knew a regular Fae could have something in common with an intimidating black mage? Arriving at the vehicle, she saw the merfolk already sitting down, and she could hear the others approaching behind.
 
Orik eyed everyone else out of the room. It was something Orik would do-make sure everyone else got out safe before leaving himself. Of course, he'd come prepared. He had his sword and the clothes he wore fit him well enough. The guard who had given him his sword had also found himself relieved of his clanky clank metal shoulders. He even had boots. Good for walking, they were, worn in over several tours with his squad. He remembered when they were still new and rubbed on his feet. Oh, how green he had been then.
He followed behind the dark mage. The merfolk had wandered off fairly early. They didn't seem to care much for the others. They were more interested in each other. He wondered vaguely why they were even here when one of them was acting like a spoilt brat who had been given a pony instead of a gun for his birthday. Orik scowled disapprovingly. That Kae wouldn’t have lasted one minute in his squad with that attitude. But this was Iliana's show. He'd let her run it.
For now, he followed the black mage. Valen. He was evidently fae, given his reaction to the Lieutenant's question. Apparently neither of them had enjoyed Silvermead as much as Ferrik had. He wondered vaguely how they would like to meet Ferrik. Maybe he could come out to play a little later. For now though, they had to get onto the new construct, and Orik's keen eye for danger wanted first glance.
Frost crunched underfoot as they approached the vehicle, and Orik watched Valen more closely. Is this what black mages did? Frosted the area when they were asked hard questions? Fortunately, Orik was a big man and didn't mind the cold. His old partners had said he was a human heater. He put it mostly down to his size. Opening a front seat with leg room, Orik climbed into the vehicle.
 
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Crossing her legs, Kelby observed the others as they loaded their transport vehicle before turning to Kae. "Are you excited to explore? What do think we'll find?" She asked, this time communicating out loud. They had traveled quiet often together so there wasn't much that excited them but they didn't know what all to expect on this trip.
Looking at her, Kae raised his eyebrows at her obvious attempt to have an open conversation with him and the others. Instead of answering her out loud, he looked her up and down, I don't think any of us know. That's why we're going Kelby.

Be nice! She scowled, turning up her nose at him. He needed to get control of what ever was bothering him and make nice. You never know when you need assistance of some sort from the others.

"Hopefully something peaceful. I don't particularly care to kill.” He answered, this time leaving the annoyance out of his voice and facial expressions.
 
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Ishum wasn't a fan of long rides, something about not using his legs while inside a giant box that could be crushed at any time. "I'll take a back seat." He said, opening up the door slowly as he crouched into the vehicle. He took his seat behind Orik, slumping his shoulders whilst adjusting for comfortable seating. Ishum overheard the merman talking, and he stuck his head out of the door window. "I wouldn't count on it..." He commented with an pessimistic tone, "Probably a lot of bears, monsters, plus we don't even know if the group we find will be friendly. Maybe they'll try to eat us, like a bear." Hate bears... Ugh, I hate bears.

He ducked his head back, returning to more slumped seating and uncomfortably. Awaiting for somebody to get this trip going.
 
Valen inspected the vehicle and deemed it unsafe for the group if he were to sit inside, to much could go wrong with a complex machine. So he opted for a more reasonable seat, on the roof, that way he wouldn't cause much more than the lights to start flickering.
He hopped briefly and let himself be carried up by his magic, he didn't want to use his wings. He hated down on the roof, crossing his arms behind his head and preparing for the trip ahead. Plus being up here means no one can bother me. He thought to himself with a small giggle.
 
Iliana slid into the driver’s seat, although the wheel had been replaced with buttons and levers. It was a self-driving vehicle. She just had to whack a couple buttons. Her fingers danced across the console for a while, hitting buttons and entering numbers. Eventually, she pushed a small card into a slot on her far left, and turned it. The vehicle rose into the air, and jerked forward. They sped out into the black and white construct of Valden. Buildings whizzed past, and they began to climb into the clouds. Iliana relaxed in her seat, not stopping to think if those who were unused to these vehicles enjoyed the high speeds.
 
Orik watched the scenery pass impassively. It took a bit to surprise him after this long. The Lieutenant beside him in the driver seat seemed to agree. She was more relaxed now than Orik had seen her yet. Was she really that uncomfortable on the ground? Was it the humans now so far below them? Or did danger just become her as it did him? Orik felt a bond begin to go grow between them. He too felt most at peace in a dangerous situation. There was a reason for his caution then, and when you knew everything was going to go wrong, there was a kind of peace to be found. He grnted in acknowledgement of Ishum's comment. "We don’t know there are going to be people. Could be barren," he said, ignoring the black mage in the roof. It would take a lot to push him off.
 
Clenching her brothers hand, Kelby squeezed her eyes shut and her teeth clamped. Being in the air made her uneasy, especially when she felt the most comfortable on the ground. Fortunately Kae didn't share these fears with his sister. He could care less about how they traveled, as long as they arrive the same what that they were when they left, he was fine. Covering her hand with his free one, he eased her into loosening her grip and calming down a bit. He hoped that this ride would be over soon enough so that they both can relax.
 
As the transport lurched into the air Valen smiled, humans and their toys. He didn't budge an inch move the entire time, closing his eyes and enjoying the ride. His thoughts turned towards the construct, it had just appeared as if it hadn't been there, as if some ancient spell or something had suddenly failed. He wondered what they'd find, some ancient civilization? Some lost technology? Monsters? The thoughts made him giggle, it would be interesting. And the team they had assembled, they were such an odd bunch, and it would be fun to see where they went. One thing he was sure of though, is that Orik was not who or what he seemed and would be the biggest issue.
 
Iliana shifted in her seat to look out the window.

“It might be abandoned, but I expect there will at least be one building. Valden picked up a signal, yet there was no reply when they attempted communication.”

Below them, she saw a massive gate rising through the clouds. It was gold and turquoise, the spikes at the ends curving in. Iliana sighed.

“We’ll be passing over the East of Corpond,” she announced. “We will arrive soon.”

As they flew over Corpond, Iliana’s mind wandered back to the file sitting on Gordon’s desk. Essokinesis. Would she be forced to use magic if this new construct was truly dangerous? The ability to bend reality was a powerful one, and Iliana was unsure how or whether to use it.
 
Ishum kept his thoughts to himself, but the more he began to speculate, the more nervous he became. Finally, he leaned forward into his seat, putting both hands on each shoulder-part of the front car seats. "What if this whole thing is an evil trap, you know? I heard about a farmer who trudged all the way to Valden and warned people of a large monster who wreaked havoc to his land down in the east. It's stated that they sent a group of their bravest warriors to defeat the beast, they say none of them ever returned. Not even the farmer himself." He finished the last sentence with a small lump in his throat. Was he starting to believe a story that was probably made-up? Maybe the combination of air flight and an upset stomach was enough for him to hallucinate. He wheezed out a breath of anxiety as they drew closer. I know there's no ghost story to this case, well, hopefully. All I want is the rest of them to be cautious while we get ready for whatever's coming.
 
Iliana sighed.

“If it is a trap, we will fight our way out. I suppose we must have confidence in each other’s skills.”

She leaned back in her seat and stared ahead. Corpond was disappearing fast, and she could see more land ahead. The new construct. Iliana held her breath as they descended to just slightly below the clouds.

There were massive stalagmites rising from the ground, but they shone when they caught the light of the sun, and Iliana soon came to realise they were made of glimmering diamonds. There were no mountains, just these stalagmites and a silver river flowing through them. In the middle of all this, sat a tiny hut.

“We’re going down,” Iliana announced to the group, tapping a few buttons before grabbing her gun.
 
Valen sat up when he felt the descent, he looked around and his eyes widened at the sight before him, huge stalagmites made of shimmering diamonds, it was a marvel. He saw the small hut by the river, and it peaked his curiosity, as who would live in such a place. He stood up on the roof as the vehicle descended, and gave that huge sharp smile, time to get the show on the road.
 
Orik's eyes surveyed the land below them. Diamond stalagmites? That was new. Silver river. New as well. A bubble of interest grew in his chest. He liked new things. They didn't happen to him very often. Orik surveyed the ground for potential threats. The hut was the most interesting part of the landscape. But what about the silver river? Was it water? Was it drinkable? What kind of creatures could live off of it?
He grunted, getting the attention of the merpeople as they went down. He pointed at the river. "You ever seen water like that before?" he asked. They would be the experts. Orik always deferred to the experts. And besides, if he hadn't seen it before in all his travels, then asking the ones who could go deeper into their constructs than he could made the most sense.
The vehicle touched down gently, powering down with a whistle and a beep. Hand on his sword hilt so he didn't get tangled as he unfolded, he got out of the car, setting foot for the first time on the floor of the strange new construct. Orik could probably handle this. But Ferrik sat in the back of his mind, along with a few others, ready to come and play should the fun on this new place not suit Orik very well. For now, being able to hit things very well suited him nicely.
 
Kae looked down below them, taking in the diamond stalagmites and silver river with little surprise. He looked over to his sister and saw her eyes glazing over as tears pooled. Shaking his head at her silliness, her leaned closer to her, "Think this will be a problem?" He asked. So far, he didn't see water, though the river was made of silver and moved like water, he was too far away to test it out. There was a chance that he wouldn't be able to manipulate the silvery substance and that irked him.

"No, I can still feel the water everywhere." She answered, closing her eyes and catching the few tears that fell in sheer beauty of the new construct. Wiggling her fingers, she cooled the air around the two, proving her point to him. "Besides, we both packed some water from home in case we discovered some strange water less construct. When we land, we shall play with the strange river. It is liquid so that will not be a problem, it will be important to know if we can breath it in or not." She was surprised that he had voiced his concerns instead of just signing it to her like he normally did when he was around people he didn't want to know. Also, he knew that they were covered and still powerful together even if this strange and intoxicating river was beyond their control. They were the only two that they knew of that could manipulate water the way they came, easily making them some of the most powerful Merfolk to this day. As long as it is liquid, they can work with it. It might be a bit more difficult than normal water but they haven't met a substance they can't handle yet.

Nodding his head, Kae listened to his sister, she was correct. As they prepared to land, he put the water he had been playing with back in the pouch he carried with him and nodded at the small hut. Since it was close to the river, they would let the others check that out while they checked out the river.
 
Ishum remained in the vehicle as everyone else left, he pondered two things: Who lives in the hut, and can he drink that water. He opened his door slowly, lightly stepping on the terrain of this mysterious region. He pried out a chunk of a smaller stalagmite and held it strong, "That's weird," Ishum muttered, "Stalagmites don't typically form above ground. Either that or there's a large rock monster with a bad colon wandering around. Oh, hey, that rhymed, I should be a poet."

He slid the chunk into his pouch, patting it softly as he went to catch up with the others. The hut wasn't very interesting to him, in all honesty any poor lost soul could try and survive in a place like this. His real interest was the water, not only was it a source for thirst-quenching, but it was also silver. Ishum knelt down and examined the pool. His left hand slithered into his pouch and returned with a small glass vial, he carefully skimmed the top as it filled the vial. He peered into the silver souvenir, "If it truly is a large rock monster, then I don't want to know what the hell this is..."
 
Iliana eyed Ishum’s vial. The silver shimmered gently between his fingers.

“It’s a river,” she said firmly. “Besides, if there was a monster sitting beneath us, then I don’t think it’s blood.” Turning to the hut, she narrowed her eyes. “The signal must have come from there. Let’s take a look.”
 
Orik joined Iliana eyeing the hut. Inwardly, he shuddered with excitement. Whoever could live out here on their own woud be the most interesting soul. And oh how he loved becoming those sorts.
Orik loosened his sword in his sheath as they drew near the hut.
 
The door of the hut creaked open, and Iliana peered into the gloom. She ran her hand along the wall, feeling for a light switch. When she found one, the lights flickered slightly, as though they were reluctant to shine, before lighting up the room completely. The layer of dust coating the room was illuminated, and Iliana felt a tickle in the back of her throat. She tread carefully, a cloud of dust erupting wherever she placed her feet, and stopped in front of a giant console. A worn leather chair sat in front of it, and a little red light flashed to her left. There were thousands of buttons, levers, and dials in front of her, even near the ceiling. Turning away from the console, as she didn't dare touch it in case something happened, Iliana scanned the rest of the room. There was barely any furniture in it, other than the worn chair and a shelf next to the door. It was empty, but not completely covered in dust like everything else. There were clean marks, each a different shape, as though something had been there. Iliana turned back to the group.

"See anything interesting?" She asked, before looking at the console again. What did all those buttons do?
 
Valen had been following the group silently, noting the interaction about the river, wondering if it was pure silver. He had followed them to the hut, and immediately felt that something was off, the general dust layer mixed with the fact that some of it was disturbed meant someone had been here, recently too. That meant they were not alone, and that meant he'd have to be extra cautious.
 
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