When I rouse, Ike is already back among us. His gaze locks onto mine, before he starts toward me.
"How do you feel?" he asks.
"I-I… much better."
He stares at me for what feels like an eternity, then he suddenly presses the back of his hand against my forehead. "You are still very warm."
"My temperature will be back to normal soon enough," I say, gently removing his hand from my face. "A-anyway, where have you been all this time?"
He looks into my eyes for a few seconds. "Were you worried?"
"Of course I was. How could I not? When you set off to fight two incredibly powerful monsters at the same time, and with no sure way back."
"I see," is all he says. "I drifted farther than I thought. It took me a while to find my way back to you guys, but here I am."
"You swam? Then climbed all the way up here?" I ask despite already knowing the answer.
He smirks. "I did."
I blink.
Why do I have the impression that he is bragging right now? I mean, it is impressive but still… "What you did was very reckless, you know?"
"Debatable."
I frown. "There is nothing to debate, that is a fact."
"Oh, so you get to look awesome before the others, but I do not? Don't you think you are being a little unfair?"
"That is not true. I was trying to protect us."
"What a coincidence; I was doing the same."
The sound of someone clearing their throat erupts. Ewa appears beside me and holds me in her arms, distancing me from Ike. "Are you done? Now give her some space."
"Alright, umm… can I get up, please?" I ask when the stares turn into a glaring contest.
Ewa lets go of me, and I can finally stand up.
"I still don't think it is a good idea for you to move around already. Ewa says, "You have yet to recover completely." "It has barely been a day."
"But we cannot afford for me to completely recover." I am not dizzy anymore, my fever is gone, and I have replenished some of my Spiritual essence. It will be enough for now."
She eyes me sullenly, then sighs.
"Vyswe'eyaga, you talked about being able to access this tower earlier." Kayin says.
"I do." I stride forward, eyes sweeping the floor, then quicken my pace as the slab of stone I'd been seeking comes into view. Dropping to one knee beside it, I focus and channel a surge of Spiritual essence into it. The stone hums, then shifts to the side, revealing a ladder to the entrance beneath.
"Woah, there really was a secret doorway." N'jobu says.
"The entrance is not really a secret."
"Then why was it so well hidden?"
"I… uh… It is an architectural thing, I think—but the entrance is a known thing."
I proceed to take on the ladder and descend. The rest follows soon after.
The room is plunged in darkness, but it is quickly cast away when I make my staff shine, and N'jobu summons a ball of fire on his palm.
"Wow…" Kayin breathes, looking around once he is down.
In here, the air feels untouched, stale and slightly grubby. Nothing looks damaged, but dust did settle everywhere.
I step forward and approach the nearest array-covered wall, then press my hand on it. The entire room lit up a moment later.
"I can't believe my eyes," Sazayi says wide-eyed.
Kayin, Sazayi, and N'jobu scourthrough all the corners of the room. Sazayi approaches the smaller library on the wall, skimming through a book he just retrieved—I am fairly sure those are basic manuals for alchemy. Kayin is inspecting rows of empty vials on a shelf on the other side of the room, while N'jobu is scrutinising the arrays engraved in precious metals on one wall a distance away.
The floor is mostly empty really, with any valuable items having certainly been kept securely in a heavily warded chamber.
"This is a laboratory," Kayin announces. I am unsure if he said it as a question or simply a statement.
"This is the Alchemical workshop," I confirm. "Welcome, I suppose."
I look down at the polished obsidian floor. It is dusty, but dry. Then it would be safe to assume that the floors below are not flooded as well.
"So… what are we trying to do here?" Azikiwe asks, folding his arms over his chest.
"Do you think there is anything we can use to travel Vyswe'eyaga?" Sazayi follows up.
"Well… I do not know… I am hoping we will find something to help us travel, on this floor, or the ones below. I am familiar with the general structure of research centres, but not further than that, they usually differ from one city to the next. And if there is nothing of use on the floors below—which I am very inclined will be the case—and they are not flooded like this one, maybe we can try the underground passageways."
"…Can't you, I don't know, make another boat with your sorcery?" Ewa asks after a moment of silence.
I frown slightly. "I don't think I can do that," I say after some hesitation.
"I could make another boat, yes, but then I will have to enhance it so that it becomes stable even in turbulent waters, several times more durable than last one, on top of the shrouding array—and if there is no wood I can use, I will need another array to make the material buoyant…" I pause. "That is too much for me. I don't have much essence right now, and even if I did, an array that considerable would drain me in a matter of hours. It would be possible if we could find some high-quality Spirit crystals to power it, though."
"Right, let's avoid repeating last time's scenario," Ike says. He looks around before adding, "Those crystals… do you think there is a chance we might find them?"
"I—yes. But they are definitely stashed in very, very warded space."
"But you can deal with those, right?" Kayin ask.
"Uhh, I will need time to examine them, a lot of time. I can't guarantee I will be able to disable the wards… but I will see what I can do."
He nods, "alright then. We shall start here, let's see what we can find?"
"Can't Vyswe'eyaga just show us where to find the useful stuff?" N'jobu asks, glancing at me, and I scowl.
"Do you know where all the precious items of your nation are kept and how to access them?" I snap back. He freezes, gawking at me like I had grown a horn. "…See?"
He looks away, and mutters awkwardly, "I-I, Apologies."
I huff in frustration and turn away. "Anyway, elixirs, potions, and compounds I don't know of are usually made or researched on in Alchemical workshops, Spirit crystals are sometimes used as base in those, but they are usually not kept here. We won't find anything of much use here. We will have better luck on the lower floors."
"Do we have to go right now?" Sazayi asks, his attention locked on the book in his hands. "I had like to take a look around."
N'jobu and Kayin soon second his sentiment, asking for some more time. I shift my gaze to the warriors; they don't seem bothered, so I shrug. "Do as you please."
"Alright…" Kayin joins my side, then asks tentatively, "What kind of potions and elixirs were you talking about?"
I eye him from the corner of my eye. He tries to act casual, but his barely contained curiosity is plain for all to see.
"Healing potions, physical or mental enhancement elixirs, essence boosters… you name it."
"Oh, I see. Then… it would not be too ludicrous to assume your people had figured out how to create an elixir of life."
I stop short, fully turning toward him. "An elixir of life, really?"
"I mean—there had always been some speculations in my circle about the existence of a Nchāren elixir of life. Most archaeologists still wonder how your people could live so long. Your diet and lifestyle alone can't explain it."
"Oh, I'm curious about it too," Ewa exclaims from across the hall.
And now the conversation has attracted everyone's attention.
"Sorry to disappoint. There is no elixir of life, no fountain of youth. We just… naturally lived long, I suppose."
"Everyone?" N'jobu presses, "even non-practitioners?"
"Yes? Why so specific?"
"That's because, Vyvy, non-practitioners or non-warriors are weaker. That's why they don't live as long." Ewa says, having creeped on me as her usual. "Warriors and sorcerers are different, the energy in them, their 'essence' as you call it, is more potent, that's why they live longer. And the stronger it gets, either through training or cultivating that energy, the longer our lives get."
"Hmm, the principle is somewhat the same with the Nchāren, but not to that extent. To begin with, the difference in lives span are almost negligible—hardly twenty years apart—and no Practitioner of the arts, powerful or no, could extend their lives by training or what or what not. It usually depends on… well, a balanced lifestyle."
"Then what changed?" N'jobu asks, mostly to himself, "Why are the people now so different from the Nchāren in the past?"
But he is right. I have been wondering about that detail ever since I regained consciousness in this era; the sorcerers now wield only one Art… then there is the existence of people, warriors, with exceptional strength.
What changed—Ah!
"Dalisso," I say, "he mentioned that the world had been devoid of humans for a good 3000 years after the catastrophe… before they came back…"
"Do you mean that we are a different race, Vyswe'eyaga?" Sazayi says, eyes wide.
"What?! No! That is not what I meant—I, that was just what he said. I had never even considered that."
But a grave silence follows.
"Okay, let's not jump to conclusions too quickly," Kayin exclaims, "There is no proof to back it up, anyway."
"Y-yes," I add, "There is also the possibility that some Nchāren may have awoken earlier than the rest, like me, or even survived the catastrophe, and have repopulated the world ever since."
Despite our words, the atmosphere remains unchanged. They all seem lost in their own thoughts, too deep to be stirred.
~~~~~~~~~~~
With that topic having been dropped sometime later, our three anthropologists focused back on examining the lab. Kayin and N'jobu quickly ran out of things to tinker with and soon drifted over to the bookshelves where Sazayi had been stationed all along.
I sit cross-legged on the floor, watching them—bored out of my mind—as they flip through book after book, scribbling notes into their jotters.
Besides me, Ewa lies upside down, her legs propped against the wall, back flat on the floor. She is fiddling with one of her daggers, twirling it absentmindedly in her hands. Sometimes I admire her brazenness. She positions herself like that, utterly unbothered by how ridiculous she might look. She is the most unserious person I have come to know.
I am slightly amazed at those three as well. How did they think of bringing those notepads with them, anyway? N'jobu and Sazayi can get a pass, but Kayin knew we were heading on a dangerous journey. Had he intended to document it, or something?
Anyway, seeing how zealous they are with what they are doing has convinced me not to show them the stairs to the secondary lab below. I have a feeling we would spend a few days down there if they ever saw it.
"I believe you have had enough time now." Azikiwe announces. He is leaning against a counter at a corner.
"Yeah, we are supposed to be on a mission here," Ewa adds in a bored, monotone voice.
They look up from their tomes, staring at us awkwardly as if suddenly remembering they weren't just here to study. Kayin clears his throat and shuts his book with a soft thud, while N'jobu and Sazayi exchange sheepish glances before reluctantly stepping away from the shelves.
"Can we keep these?" Sazayi asks. It takes me several seconds to understand he was asking me.
"Please? Vyswe'eyaga," Kayin adds when I do not say anything, "Nchāren texts are really hard to come by, especially the ones with arcane knowledge like these."
He had told me that, once. It is understandable, we are really good at safekeeping our valuables.
"Erm… Sure, if you insist." They hurriedly pack as many tomes as they can in their bags as soon as the words leave my mouth.
"Is it really alright for them to take those books?" Ewa asks when I get back on my feet, "Are they not valuable?"
"It is not a problem, don't worry."
They are just basic books on alchemy anyway, and it is not like there are not several other identical copies of these.
"So, how do we get down," asks Gamba once I am close, "There are no stairs, and this space is completely closed off."
"We take the elevator. Follow me."
We move toward a space at the front of the room—a secondary chamber, semi-circular in shape. It's compact, just large enough to hold about ten people comfortably.
Once everyone has passed through the archways, I reach for the stele just to the side of the entrance and press the key to the lower floor. The platform beneath us groans. Almost simultaneously, the others jolt in unison as the structure begins to descend.
"Were you surprised?"
"What is happening?" Kayin asks, steadying himself after regaining his balance. His eyes dart around in alarm as he realizes we're now confined. The others look equally stunned. "What is this thing?"
We are not in the dark; luminous runes shine on the circular wall as we descend.
"An elevator? You… Have you never taken one before?"
"An… elevator?" repeats Sazayi.
"Where would anyone even use this thing?" N'jobu exclaims.
I blink.
"There are few in Asso, the tallest buildings... I am surprised you had never known."
The three stare back at me with wide eyes. It seems they had indeed never known of it, and when I think back at it; now I understand why nobody ever used it at the Archive of records—I was wondering why they had turned the space into a flight of stairs instead.
The platform's descent slows, and the wall opens to the next floor. Once I turn on the lights, we are faced with a vaulted ceiling soaring high above, its enchanted dome still shimmering with a perfect illusion of the night sky, stars wheeling in slow, silent arcs. Empty pedestals stand in solemn rows where once artifacts had hovered, the containment circles etched into the floor remain pristine. Occupying one-third of the room, at its centre is a pyramidal structure, with various combinations of glyphs and sigil carved on its surface.
"Hmm… this should be the Atelier of Spells and Incantations."
For a moment, silence reigns. They step forward hesitantly, eyes wide, their gazes sweeping across the chamber. A flicker of pride stirs in my chest as I watch their astonished expressions.
I think I will enjoy showing them the lower floors.
"This is the best day of my life," N'jobu breathes, his words echoing throughout the whole hall.
And from the looks on their faces, I suspect they will enjoy it too.