139: The Walkers of the Moon
Chapter 139: The Walkers of the Moon
CAYLA
It was relatively rare that Cayla had private time with her beloved. He slept so often that their moments together were treasured, and she handled other matters while he lay dormant. It had always been this way, though her younger self had not realized how little time she really had with him. At least, in the waking world.
She did have ways of spending more time with him, after all.
Today was not a day they spent together. Today, she fretted, her winglike arms twitching and spreading while she sat and watched the enormous, slumbering creature she called her lover. Their relationship was not very physical – that was simply not practical – but it did not deter her from watching over him as his body stirred. As it had done so thrice over the last day.
For a vaskan, shifting about or rolling during sleep at night was normal.
For an Elder Dragon, it happened once or twice a slumber… which could last an entire moon, at times.
She’d been watching most of that day. Cayla needed less sleep than most vaskan, but even she was starting to feel tired. In a way this was good… perhaps in her dreams she could find out what was happening. Yet Valesfen had told her that her dreams were not safe.
Hundreds of years together, and now when he needed her, she could do nothing.
“Here she is.”
Cayla’s head jerked up at the unexpected voice. It had an odd accent – not local at all. That wasn’t strange. Many vaskan traveled for weeks or longer to visit this place, the only place anyone knew where a dragon could be spoken to directly. Valesfen the Ancient.
A little bit of a joke. When he’d taken that name he’d still been new to being an Elder Dragon.
Their shared lair was a private space, and no one should be allowed to enter. Yet when she turned to look at the voice, she saw not one, but three figures.
A male vaskan. Nightsleek Totem. Cayla knew this instantly, from her long years.
Another vaskan. Female. An Inheritor. Deep Watch.
And… something small and blue that stared at her with brilliant green eyes.
Cayla bowed her head slightly. “What does the Deep Watch require of me?” She did her best to sound polite. She did not fear a single member of the Deep Watch, but she respected them, and they always did the same to her. The confusion that showed on the faces of her uninvited guests was not expected.
Three Achievements flipped past her vision, informing her of the names of those she welcomed… and knowledge of the fact that none of them worked in the open. Rank Nine? She herself had a Rank Ten Achievement, but she had never replicated anything close.
“Ah, she means me.” The Inheritor tapped her chest. “The ones who monitor the dungeons use this shape. Maybe I should choose a different body when I am Downside.”
“Not important right now,” the man said, waving off the concern. “Always wondered what a vaskan with a dragon core would look like. They’re not supposed to exist.”
“The Deep Watch could,” the Inheritor said. “I told them not to, but they could.”
The man grunted, but didn’t pursue the odd conversation. “Sorry for barging in on you like this. Akasha said we needed to come here.”
“Well… really we need to be up there… but Cayla is the best one we have for doing this.” The one named Akasha pointed upward.
The man groaned and ran a hand over his face. “Of course. I completely forgot that was a valid attack vector. I get it now. Maybe I should just fix this myself…”
“You’re going to need to do something, I can’t form a dungeon up there.” Akasha crossed her arms. “If you do that, Cayla can do the rest.”
The tiny blue one – Orpheus, if the Achievements were to be believed – flicked her tail and looked at the other two, then back at Cayla. “What, exactly, can this mortal do to help? We cannot even tell her what to do. This emergency seems another ill-thought plan. Like trying to get me kicked in the shin. You do know I normally do not even have shins, yes?”
Rubbing his face again, the one who was apparently ‘Kenta’ grumbled at the two. “Orpheus, if you’re going to act like this every time you come down here, you’re staying upstairs. Stop picking fights with Akasha. You’re both older than Cayla here, and she’s the picture of refinement. Act your age. This is too important for you two to be at one another like children.”
She waited for them, while they sorted out their strange yet warm disfunction. At last, Cayla straightened when all three turned to her. “What is it you are here for?”
She did not ask how they had arrived.
Kenta sighed, “I apologize. Valesfen is… troubled, as you are aware. As flighty as she seems, Akasha is right… you are the most experienced [Dream Walker] we know, so the mortal most likely to be able to fix this. It will be risky, though. You are not a combat-oriented person, and I’ve never put a dungeon in the dream realms before.”
Beside her, the large frame of Valesfen stirred again, rumbling as his eyelids twitched fitfully. Cayla placed a hand on his snout in a soothing gesture, listening to the apparent nonsense these strangers spouted. Something about what the man Kenta said had stung her, even if it made no sense.
“A dungeon in the dream realms? Why would…” Cayla’s own question died on her lips. Her centuries of time here had taught her many things, and she was well aware of the stated purpose of the dungeons. The Deep Watch communicated with her once every few generations, so she understood that the dungeons were part of the world’s system of regulation… somehow.
“The dream is broken?” She looked at Valesfen’s slumbering form. “I see. But I would not know the first thing about resolving a dungeon. As you said, I am an… advisor. I counsel, I do not take an active hand in matters. Nor do I wish to, normally.”
Akasha smiled, “See? She’s smart, I knew she’d figure it out.” The grin faded as her tail whipped back and forth. “She’s right, though. As she is now, she has no idea how to handle a dungeon. I know it’s against the rules, but I thought maybe we could bend them just this once and unlock her missing memories? Even just for a while?”
“Mmm.” Kenta didn’t say anything, just staring at Cayla thoughtfully.
Orpheus also stared at Cayla, but with a different expression. “I… agree with Akasha. This is the time to bend the rules. Even resolving the dungeon will only be the first step of what you need to do. You also need for the rest of the world to prefer the old reality to the new.”
“Hmm.”
Kenta’s mumblings finally seemed to sink in to the other two that he was only half-listening to them. The vaskan’s eyes were on Cayla, but she had the distinct feeling that he wasn’t quite looking at her. It made her fur itch uncomfortably.
The two beside him went silent, and Cayla took a good look at them again. The tiny one, Orpheus, kept her eyes wandering. Despite her apparent position as someone who was offering advice to the taller man beside her, her expression was one of curiosity and wonder.
Akasha was different. She twitched and fidgeted. When Cayla looked at her, the young woman smiled back with a warmth that was unexpected. Fingers wiggled in something resembling a wave, and Cayla gave her a hesitant smile in return.
“All right, I have a plan.” Kenta spoke up so suddenly even the other two jumped, startled into attentiveness once more. “Cayla, do you consent to having your missing 27 years of memories unlocked? I can’t easily reseal them, but they will help you gather a group and appropriately handle a dungeon. I’m assuming you are willing to do this, if it saves Valesfen, but if you think it too risky I can try to fix it myself through other means.”
The guess wasn’t wrong, but Cayla hesitated anyway.
“I will do whatever I can to help, but I… assume the memories were sealed for good reason. Will this hurt me?”
“They aren’t horrifying, I think,” Akasha spoke up. “But you’ll learn secrets that mortals were never meant to learn. You’re old enough now to know you shouldn’t talk about them, but keeping secrets like that is hard. Especially from people you care about.”
Kenta shook his head. “What Akasha says is true, but the world is about to change anyway. Everything will be different, soon. Subtly different, but different. I think it might be best if at least one person is prepared.”
She no longer even considered how these three had appeared. The very fact that they had done so without anyone detecting their approach told her they were unusual. The knowledge of what lay in her missing years between death and rebirth confirmed that their casual appearance and banter were a mask over something more.
Both Akasha and Kenta were looking at Orpheus, but the tiny blue creature flicked her ears back. “This is already far off procedure. Do what you feel is best. I advise against letting mortals know too much, but I think that the risk is worth it. I do not want to lose you.”
The odd creature paused and looked at Akasha.
“Either of you.”
As signifiant as the moment seemed to be, Cayla didn’t have time to fully process it. Kenta stepped forward and sighed.
“Very well. I will be releasing your memories. We have to move fast on this, so I will return in three days. Tell me who you need for your team by then, and I will make it happen for you.”
Cayla dipped her head and folded her arms together respectfully. “Thank you for trusting in me. I do not know who or what you are, but I understand your choice was weighty.”
Kenta merely grunted. “Don’t thank me yet. I have no idea what this will do, and I’m going to be doing some delicate surgery on your soul. I don’t know what sort of side effects this might bring.”
Nodding back, Cayla took a breath, waiting for Kenta to approach… except he didn’t. Whatever he was going to do, he didn’t need to touch her for it.
Not physically.
She felt something inside her twitch deep within, and without warning memories flooded in. She’d expected a torrent, but instead she merely had the thought of the names and an understanding of what she was looking at. Not a person or a powerful Spirit, but an Administrator. Someone whose job it was to keep reality going.
Every passing thought tugged at forgotten times when she was a city. A sprawling entity. An entity of legend, no less. She had heard tales of the City of Sound… and now understood why they had always resonated so keenly with her. It was overwhelming and incredible at the same time, learning that those years had not been meaningless. Brutal, at times, with how she’d watched people die…
But she’d made friends as well, hadn’t she?
Her vision swam for an instant, and then she understood what Kenta meant. How side effects might occur.
| CITY OF SOUND HAS REJOINED THE CHAT