Book 1, Destiny

Chapter 4, The Way

After a few minutes of sitting around doing nothing much at all, Arain decided to exit his room, he walked back to the kitchen table and found Töramaður waiting for him. Arain demanded to know where the airship was going and why. Töramaður replied simply with ''The Way'', Arain gasped, he had heard legends of The Way, a reputable current of glowing energy, and a fast path for merchants and travellers across Akkora. No-one knew how it originated. The Way ran all around the vast continent, so Arain asked for a specification on where exactly we were travelling to. Töramaður's answer puzzled him, he pulled out a large book from the folds of his jacket, opened to a page, and read it aloud. Töramaður spoke of an ancient temple at the end of The Way, which is also the start*, where he would consult...consult...? consult what?, he would not say, Arain felt that something strange was going on here, and that soon, he would become tangled up in it as well.

''Who is the girl?" Arain asked, trying to change the subject, '' ah, so you do remember her, well, she is my adopted daughter, Ellyss, she... is an Armainiar.''

Arain gasped in suprise for the second time that day, Armainiars were an ancient race, gifted with magical abilities and familiars, there used to be plenty, but then they disappeared, one by one, and no-one knows why. He decided that it made sense, the black shape in her room, the large array of ingredients and materials in the draws, he assumed they were for potions, and the robe she wore (he remembered seeing faint symbols embroided in gold thread) and a greasy aura that eminated from her (a sign of occult potentiality)**.

*Quite obviously The Way goes in a loop through the land of Akkora, it is a strange place, but not as strange as it's inhabitants.

**Armainiars are in no way to be confused with Witches, who get very touchy about this sort of thing.

2 days passed, Töramaður has mentioned nothing more about the temple or his daughter, so Arain spent most of his time staring out of the airship, at the land below. Around midday, Arain could suddenly feel the distinct feeling of magic in the air, at the same time, Töramaður entered the room, speaking but two words, ''we're here''.

Up ahead, under the cloud of steam produced by the Thrush, Arain saw a brilliant yellow glow, surrounded with a tinge of light green, and he even saw hints of red and orange in this symphony of colours. As the airship entered the stream of light, he noticed a sudden increase of speed, along with a large improvement in the balance of the ship. It glided along the path with absolute grace.

Arain reached over the side of the Thrush in an attempt to touch the magic, but Töramaður stopped him just in time, muttering quietly, Arain managed to make out some of the words; dangerous, disappear, and stupid seemed to feature prominently in this one-sided conversation. After that, Töramaður strolled out, leaving Arain to his thoughts.

One time, he saw a fin poke out of the The Way, and Arain wondered whether it was his imagination, he was proven wrong later when a giant fish-like creature leapt out of it and dived straight back in. It was deformed, mutated, a rainbow of colours, light bounced off its sheet of scales, creating what could only be described as a strobe-light effect. He spotted another one later, like a glider, it jumped up and flew with its flabby skin for a short period. Its silver skin shining for the entire duration. About half way through its second flight, a seething mass of tentacles erupted from the stream, wrapped around the fish and pulled it quickly back to whatever lurked under the surface*.

*The magic of The Way...does stuff...to creatures that enter it, so it's reasonable to assume that the glider used to be a large bird, and the fish from earlier had once been, well, a fish, probably brought up as a rarity to sell on the black market. As for the unseen monster, it couldn't have been any kind of octopus (the tentacles were bigger than any octopus or squid anyone had ever seen), but questions like these are often better left un-answered, and in any case, it was far behind the Airship as it cruised along The Way.

Creatures and monsters weren't the only things he saw. One time, Arain spotted a large island, covered with tropical trees and finished off with a volcano in the very centre, it looked active. Another, a gang of mermaids, sunbathing on a nearby rock, called to him across the magic water, begging him to come closer so they could sing to him. He even caught, out of the corner of his eye, a large shadow, looking suspiciously like a whale, swimming past.

Occasionally, as the trip dragged on, other airships would glide past, usually merchants, but massive warships, loaded to the brim with soldiers, guns and cannons, incredibly slow compared to the smaller airships, would sometimes blunder by

Later, Töramaður decided that the Thrush should dock on a nearby island, but it was only when they got closer that Arain realised they weren't islands at all, but the peaks of giant mountains, passing through the Way. This one, despite being up so high, was completely covered in life, to his surprise. The airship landed upon the mountaintop, then Töramaður secured it there with large weights attached to thick ropes.

Arain explored the peak for the rest of the morning, sometimes finding and picking fruits that he saw in the palm trees. After that, Töramaður asked Arain if he needed basic weapons training, Arain was surprised, but accepted willingly. ''Let's start with close combat'' Töramaður stated, and took out a long pole with a blade attached to both ends, Arain took out his knife in response, then when Töramaður signalled to start, Arain dashed towards him. Arain went all out on Töramaður but somehow, he blocked every one of his attacks, then tripped Arain up, pointing the staff at his throat. ''You need to learn'' Töramaður told him, 'get up''. They trained until nightfall, then sat down in front of a fire to a light meal of salt-dried meat and bread, told Arain to practice every day then retired to his sleeping chambers, only then did he notice that Ellyss was also sitting around the dying flame, nearly unnoticeable in the unusually dim light, Arain felt embarrassed. Then the girl spoke, for the first time,'' hello Arain, you will be on a very important quest, very soon, and you know what the best part is?... You have no idea what's in store for you'' then, she disappeared.