—— ? ——

  Brian dashed through town at a frantic rate.

  They wound through Varnholt’s cobbled streets and ornately carved stone paths, dodging carts, barrels, and townsfolk with practiced ease.

  Well, Brian did.

  Simon narrowly avoided tripping more than once.

  As they moved, Simon caught sight of the sheer variety of people that called the town home. Frost-Kin with their faintly glowing blue skin moved with quiet grace, while stout Yoreboon bustled about with tools strapped to their backs.

  And then there were more like Serel.

  Tall, radiant figures with glimmering skin and hair that shimmered like woven strands of starlight.

  He’d been stunned when he first saw her. Now he realized she wasn’t unique.

  Her entire race looked like they’d stepped out of a divine mural. Each one bore subtle differences: eyes that glowed every shade from deep violet to fiery orange, halos of ambient light that pulsed gently with their emotions, the faint crystalline sound of their voices as they whispered.

  Simon blinked, trying not to stare.

  Right. Everything has changed.

  However, the members of Varnholt did not return the favor. Simon could feel the gazes weigh on him.

  It made him nervous. Part of the reason he had taken Brian’s offer so quickly was because he had been hoping to avoid further questioning and stay out of town.

  He wasn’t sure how people here felt about divine interference, but something told him that “cursed by a god” wasn’t the kind of thing that earned you warm welcomes or dinner invites.

  Brian finally slowed, stopping in front of a structure that could only be described as deliberately unsafe.

  It looked like a tower, if a tower had lost a bet with a scrapyard and attempted to rebuild itself with duct tape, prayer and denial.

  Multiple sections bore the unmistakable scars of explosions. Chunks of stonework had clearly been blasted outward, only to be haphazardly replaced with giant slabs of metal. Each piece was bolted down with crude, oversized rivets, like some massive hand had secured them in place with zero regard for aesthetics.

  And yet…

  It worked.

  Each chunk of metal was securely welded to the stone. The connection between them was unlike anything Simon had ever seen. The materials didn’t just meet. They wove into each other, interlocking at a level that made it impossible to tell where one ended and the other began.

  Above it all, perched on a reinforced platform, sat a massive telescope.

  Its long barrel looked like it could double as artillery.

  Judging by the scarring along the observatory dome, maybe it already had.

  The entire building radiated equal parts brilliance and brutalism, bound by obsessive precision.

  For all its patched seams, jagged angles, and impossible repairs, the tower held a strange cohesion. The mismatched parts of stone, metal, and crystal had been fused with such care that their transitions felt deliberate. The seals between each salvaged section were woven together with an almost artistic precision, like a master craftsman had sculpted chaos until it sang in harmony.

  Simon stared up at the wondrous monstrosity, unsure if he should be impressed… or worried.

  Probably a bit of both.

  “So… Uh… this your place?”

  Brian whirled around, hand on the doorknob. His fingers flew across it tapping out a rhythm.

  “Yes sir! Welcome to the innovation center of Varnholt!” He said proudly as his fingers rapped a final tap.

  A whirling buzzing sounded out from the structure, followed by three sharp chimes and the sound of something clicking into place.

  “Oh? It seems my assistant is in. Come along Simon!

  The reinforced door gave a low thunk and swung open on its own, revealing a hallway lit by soft, oscillating lights.

  Strange mechanisms and tubing of various sheens crawled the walls.

  Simon took a cautious step inside.

  “You have an assistant?”

  “I do! Name is Kaelalin, she's fantastic!” Brian said cheerfully, humming as he scrutinized a mechanism on the wall. "Hold on for a moment. She should unlock the blast door shortly.”

  Simon looked down the short hallway and examined the ‘blast door’.

  Wait.

  Blast door?

  “Uh… Hey Brian,”

  “Yes, Simon?”

  “You said blast door,”

  “Yup.”

  “Why... do you need a blast door?”

  “... To keep blasts in?” He turned and gave him a quizzical look. “Why else would I have it?”

  “Uh huh…”

  Simon stared at the thick slab of reinforced metal ahead. It was scarred, scorched, and humming in harmony with its creator.

  “Right, Just… checking,”

  Brian gave a satisfied nod and turned back to fiddling with the wall. He popped open a panel, yanked out a softly glowing crystal and examined it. After a moment he muttered ‘oh duh.’ and flipped it upside down and shoved it back inside. He moved to the other side of the hall muttering.

  “Well.. that could have been bad.”

  Simon narrowed his eyes.

  “Define bad.”

  Brian didn’t look away from his work. “I’m not entirely sure. We haven’t had one of those destabilize yet.”

  Before Simon could respond, a soft bell rang, followed by a whooomph noise. The blast door shuddered, then slowly rose.

  From behind the slowly rising slab of metal came a clipped, icy voice.

  “Brian… Did you mess with one of the mana control crystals again?”

  Brian winced. “I… did… Why was it orientated upside down?”

  “Because I am currently running mana through the second floor.”

  Brian let out a strangled noise and practically launched himself at the panel, reversing the crystal with impressive speed.

  “Ah, Yes! Fixed! Sorry!”

  The blast door clanked into its final position with a dramatic click.

  Standing beyond it was a Frost-Kin woman with her arms crossed and a look that could freeze molten iron.

  She was tall for a Frost-Kin, her pale blue skin etched with delicate frost-white fractals that shimmered faintly. Simon assumed they were tattoos… glowing ones.

  Her dark hair was pulled back into a loose, gravity-defying braid.

  She wore a crisp, well-maintained coat. A complete inverse of Brian’s ink-stained chaos.

  Or at least, it would have been… had it not been scorched and splattered with glowing residue and soot.

  “Brian.” She said flatly.

  “Kaelalin.” Brian replied, edging instinctively toward the outer door.

  “That won’t work, you know. The outer door stays sealed until this one” she rapped her knuckles against the blast door’s frame, “is closed. By order of the Council. Remember?”

  Brian winced. “Now that you mention it… yes. Yes, it does.”

  Kaelalin smiled, cool and full of teeth.

  “Lovely. Then shall we head upstairs and examine the results of our combined efforts?”

  This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  She turned on her heel, striding a few steps before pausing with exaggerated thoughtfulness.

  “Hm. Actually… I should probably clean up first.”

  She glanced down at her coat, then looked back over her shoulder with mock innocence and veiled intensity.

  “Wouldn’t want to ruin rebuilding the experiment with magical explosion residue, now would we?”

  She paused for a beat.

  She let the silence hang for a beat.

  In fact, I should take care of that properly. Might even take me… all day.”

  Her smile sharpened as she looked back at Brian.

  “You’ll be fine. Right, Brian?”

  She bared her teeth in a sweet, terrible grin.

  Simon raised a hand slightly. “Should I… be here for this?”

  Without looking at him, Kaelalin replied smoothly,

  “No. But now you are. Welcome to the lab. Brian, who is your friend?”

  At that moment, Brian saw the lifeline in front of him.

  He stepped forward.

  “Yes! Right! Kaelalin! This is Simon! He’s, ah, our new field collector. Explorer. Officially sanctioned by the council. Fully endorsed. Temporary... possibly permanent! We'll see!”

  He clapped a hand on Simon’s shoulder with the energy of a man redirecting a lightning strike.

  “He’ll be mapping the valley, gathering samples, investigating local anomalies, reporting his findings… all of which, of course, we’ll be processing here.”

  Kaelalin’s eyes widened, and her entire demeanor flipped like a switch.

  “Wait, seriously?” her eyes snapped to Simon, then back to Brian. “I thought the council was still giving you grief. ‘Ooooh, we need all able bodies for guarding, building, blah blah blah.’”

  She scoffed.

  “And that tunnel project? Please. In what frozen realm is digging a hole the highest priority? It’s an entirely new world out there!”

  She strode up to Simon, intensely examining him.

  “Oh, this is perfect. Do you know how long I’ve been asking for fresh, undiscovered items from the outer ridges?”

  Simon blinked. “Uh…”

  “Right? You can’t even think of it.”

  She clapped her hands, spun on her heel, and practically sprinted out of the hallway.

  “Well, come on! We have so much to prepare! Chop chop!”

  “I KNOW! You grab the vials, I’ll get the pouches!” Brian shouted gleefully, vanishing into the lab like a man sprinting toward Christmas morning.

  Simon stood in the hallway. Now empty.

  “I guess… I go in?” he muttered.

  A tube on the wall jiggled slightly.

  No one disagreed.

  With a resigned sigh, he stepped into the madness.

  —— ? ——

  “Now don’t forget, Simon,” Brian said, stuffing pouches into a thick leather backpack with frantic energy. “Red bags for corpses. Or anything that used to be alive. Blue is for things that glow, hum, vibrate, or generally feel like they shouldn’t be touched.”

  He paused, then added, “Touch them anyway. Carefully.”

  Brian looked into the air thoughtfully. He dashed to a box across the room, rummaged, and returned with a pair of pristine white gloves.

  “If you feel like you REALLY shouldn’t touch it..” He said, stuffing them into a side pocket, “use these.”

  Simon raised an eyebrow but stayed quiet.

  Brian continued without missing a beat “Green bag’s your mapping crystals. Just give one a gentle squeeze, and it’ll send out a pulse to update your map.” He looked up over the rim of his glasses. “You’ve got the map, right?”

  Simon set down the cup of blue tea Kaelalin had handed him earlier. Reaching into his breast pocket, he withdrew the rune-etched parchment.

  It was stiff as leather, layered with interwoven sigils that pulsed faintly. They were slow, steady pulses that reminded Simon of a heartbeat.

  Brian nodded with satisfaction, then whipped out a wooden clipboard containing a hastily scrawled checklist. He checked it, nodded, then set it on the table. The title across the top, written in bold, uneven strokes, read:

  "Brian’s Bobbles–Surveying Trip #1,"

  Several items were crossed off, some with multiple question marks beside them.

  Others were underlined.

  Circled.

  Then circled again.

  One note in the margin pointed to a triple circled line with the note:

  “DO NOT FORGET,”

  Beneath it, in small lettering.

  “Seriously, future Brian. Do not forget this.”

  Simon just shook his head.

  Why are brilliance and madness essentially the same? Feels like the only difference is usefulness.

  Now he felt like he had to ask.

  “Hey, Brian?”

  Brian didn’t look up. “Hmm?”

  “Why is it so important to have the crystals for the map in the green bag?”

  Brian stopped and blinked at him.

  “Because the list says so.”

  “Right… I get that…” Simon paused, trying to figure out how to ask the right question. “But why does having them in that specific green bag matter?”

  Now it was Brian’s turn to pause. He chewed his lip. Then shrugged.

  “I don’t remember. But it’s on the list, so I did it.” He said, then went back to checking over the bag again.

  Simon clenched his teeth, ready to snap at the absentminded man.

  “It’s because those crystals send out a pulse to map the surrounding area.” Kaelalin said, her voice cutting in.

  She strode in, her coat now spotless and crisp, carrying a deep purple satchel slung over one shoulder.

  She handed the bag to Brian.

  “And then that pulse returns to the crystal, updating the map. Anything with a pulse that is mildly vicious will assume a dinner bell has been rung.”

  The glow from her fractal tattoos pulsed.

  “Which, as you can imagine, is very bad to happen randomly. Hence the green bag that stops that.”

  Simon looked at the green bag before Kaelalin’s contribution covered it.

  “Right. Keep the crystals in the bag until ready. Got it.”

  Kaelalin gave him an approving nod, then gestured to the backpack Brian was busy securing shut.

  “I packed you several useful potions. Nothing related to healing, but the effects should be helpful. They have labels. Read them.”

  Brian chimed in brightly. “Oh! The green-capped one is great! Increases your speed, reflexes, and mental cognition. Basically magical caffeine, just make sure you have food.”

  He sighed wistfully

  “It makes you extremely hungry afterwards. Frustrating and expensive.”

  Kaelalin gave Brian a look.

  “And if you forget to eat beforehand, it’ll burn through any energy it can find to replace the downside. Energy, mana, life force, it won’t care. Like I said: read the labels.”

  Simon looked between the two magical researchers, eyes narrowing.

  Brian held the backpack out to him.

  “Take this–and good luck. Don’t stay out after dark and be careful.” His tone shifted, eyes suddenly serious. “Really, Simon. We’re both excited to have you on board. But we’d rather have slow progress and multiple exploration reports.”

  Simon nodded and took the pack, its weight surprisingly light.

  “Eh, I already survived one disaster out there. This should be a piece of cake.”

  He shook Brian’s hand.

  “That's the spirit!” Brian grinned. “Oh, stop by Marden the Healer before you go. Get something for worst-case scenarios. You know… in case the cake is a lie.”

  Simon groaned.

  “That’s not even a good one, man.” He rubbed the side of his head. “And anyways, how do I buy potions from him? I don’t have any money”

  Brian’s face froze.

  “Wait. What happened to all the Aurora Hopper bodies and their mana gems?”

  Simon looked confused.

  “I… used them to pay Marden for the healing?”

  Brian’s jaw dropped.

  “All of them?!”

  “Yes? I had nothing else to trade for the healing. He said he would take them instead.”

  “Let me guess,” Kaelalin said, her voice going frostbite-cold. “Marden didn’t mention how much they were worth?”

  “No… he said they’d cover the healing,” Simon answered slowly.

  Holy crap, she looks absolutely evil when she's pissed.

  Kaelalin’s eyes narrowed.

  “Hmmm. I think it’s time to go have a chat with our dear town healer.” She turned sharply. “Brian, I’ll take Simon, grab the potions, and show him the way out. Sounds good?”

  Brian gave them both a big thumbs up.

  “Enjoy! Do tell me if the council needs to be informed of our smug herb-hoarding healer’s trade practices.”

  He was already turning back to his devices, whistling a suspiciously cheerful tune.

  Kaelalin was halfway to the door, her boots already clicking with purpose.

  Simon adjusted the pack and moved after her.

  —— ? ——

  By the time they had reached the town’s outer gate, Simon was carrying a modest satchel packed with healing potions.

  Kaelalin was carrying a much larger crate slung over her shoulder. It looked stupidly heavy, but the tall Frost-kin woman didn’t seem to notice.

  “I swear he said, ‘I only have a few normal potions,’” Simon muttered, glancing between his satchel and the crate. “Yeah, that was a damn lie.”

  Kaelalin rolled her eyes. “He says that to everyone. That man would try to sell snow to my kin and convince them it was imported. And the worst part? He might actually succeed.”

  Simon frowned. “So, he’s just a grifter then? I mean, the healing this morning worked. I couldn’t even walk. "

  “That’s the problem,” she muttered. “He’s absolutely a grifter. But his healing is real. That divine-infused potion of his? I’ve seen it knit bone and regrow tendons. I watched him rebuild someone’s hand with it after a boulder landed on it.”

  She shifted the crate slightly on her shoulder with a grunt of satisfaction.

  “That’s why we tolerate him. And thanks to this,” she patted the side of the crate, “we won’t need to deal with him again for a long while.”

  Simon raised an eyebrow. “That’s really all for me? I just stood back and watched him squirm.” he snickered. “Oh man, I thought he was going to melt through the floor.”

  Kaelalin smirked, the corners of her mouth twitching with restrained satisfaction.

  “I won't lie. I was happy to have a valid reason to fleece him in return.”

  She nodded toward the crate. “We’ll store the surplus at the lab. You can come back to restock as needed.”

  Kaelalin turned to face him fully, the glint of amusement in her eyes giving way to something steady and quiet.

  “Be careful out there, Simon.”

  She held out a hand, covered in faint fractals and firm.

  Simon took her hand and shook it. “I’ll be back. Hopefully, with a bunch of weird glowing shit.”

  Her lips twitched into that sharp, familiar smile.

  “Works for me! Remember, read the labels. Back before dark. Don’t be a hero.”

  Then, more softly, she added,

  “May the Daughter of Frost protect you.”

  With that, she turned and strode back towards the lab, the heavy crate balanced effortlessly on her shoulder.

  Simon lingered a moment as the gates loomed ahead. Beyond them, snow, hell bunnies, and the unknown.

  He adjusted the satchel, glanced at the sky, and muttered,

  “Well. Let’s see what kind of mood you’re in today.”

  He called on his skill: Theodia’s Instrumental Summon.

  Energy surged from his chest to his hand—followed by a shimmer, a pop, and the unmistakable rattle of—

  Two maracas.

  Simon blinked.

  Then grinned.

  “Hell yeah. Let’s go.”

  —— ? ——

  — AUTHOR NOTICE —

  https://www.patreon.com/TheBusyBard

  ~TheBusyBard

  Harmony is offered. Growth is earned. Limits are unknown.

  ——————————