Yet Another Realm: Travel in Curiosity

If it was one thing Zerisint understood from his lifetime of observing the physical creatures of Earth, it was that they always needed to eat things. He had recognized the food the drakiri ate the night before as 'meat,' and knew exactly where to procure more. So now, there was a trio of dead rabbits in the small camp, resting on a flattened patch of grass.

 

Hearing one of the drakiri's breathing patterns change, one black-furred ear turned, and then his head. He observed the one called Ipala, and took several steps toward him. He grinned to himself, and inched closer, until his nose was almost up in Ipala's face.

 

It perhaps spoke of some of what Ipala was used to, that his first reaction to sensing someone in his face upon awakening was not to freak out. Instead, it was to blow air up their nose. He opened his eyes moments later, though his purple eyes were barely able to make out a dark, vague form without his glasses. "Good morning, whoever you are. Let me get my glasses on."

 

The scientist had chosen to sleep in his anthro form, it being easier to fit under the available shelter from the rain. Of course, sleeping with jewelry or glasses on was, unfortunately, a poor idea, much though it annoyed Ipala to wake up effectively blind every time. Well, perhaps not wholly effectively blind - if he focused hard, he could make out some details. Just not usually enough to identify who he was looking at.

 

Zerisint huffed and backpedaled. That was absolutely not fun, and not what he had expected. He shook his head. Good morning.

 

Ipala didn't remember exactly where he'd put his glasses, and so had to feel around for them a bit before he was able to grab them. Putting them on, and now able to see better than squinty guesswork, Ipala noted who his visitor apparently was. "Is something on fire again? Or was it just a case of the mischief that had you in my face?"

 

His tone wasn't hostile or accusatory, if anything it was mildly amused, particularly at that last sentence.

 

I just wanted to mess with you a little, Zerisint admitted. He stepped away. I brought food.

 

Gaël woke next, roused by the talking, and caught the end of Zerisint's sentence. He reluctantly pulled away from Devromos and sat up to stretch, and yawned. "You said food?" he asked with a tired smile.

 

Zerisint grinned. I did. Do you drakiri folk like rabbits?

 

Gaël blinked. "Prepared right, yes." He followed where Zerisint was pointing and found the small dead animals not far away. "Wow, it's... been a while, since I've had rabbit. Galabastarin doesn't have anything quite like it."

 

"I could make trips if you'd like it more often again," Devromos offered, having woken with Gaël and already up on his feet. He offered a hand to help his husband up.

 

Gaël smiled and took the offered hand, and rose to his feet. "We'll see if I even still like it. It's been ages."

 

Zerisint cocked his head to one side. You talk like you are very old.

 

"Well... Reincarnation with memories left intact... Yeah, I guess we are older than we look."

 

"I think somewhere close to a millennium now?" Devromos shrugged. "I haven't been keeping track. Faladir's well over fifteen millennia."

 

Fifteen... Zerisint mumbled. And I thought only dragons could live so long. Even the first kijikaiaku, Kokoro, is scarcely more than five-thousand years. Are you immortals?

 

Gaël rubbed the back of his head. "Well, in a way, I guess so. We can still be killed, it's just that none of us age past a certain point, each of us for a different reason." His stomach grumbled. "If you don't mind holding off on questions, though, I'd like to get breakfast started."

 

Zerisint hmm'd. Sure.

 

Gaël picked a skinning knife out of his pack and walked over to the dead rabbits, picked up one furry corpse, and got to work.

 

Devromos, meanwhile, first went to go wake Faladir, the only one left of their number still asleep. Irrational anger warred with amusement over the matter, though Devromos far preferred the latter emotion. "Fal." He'd get more creative than that if his friend took too long to wake.

 

Vyxréth watched the Drakiri move about the camp with vague amusement, so much fuss just to be ready in the morning. The entire routine wasn't one he envied, but it was entertaining to watch, for once pulling him out of his brooding. As he had the night before, he moved his flames near Gaël to offer the smokeless heat as a pseudo-campfire again, as the wood and tinder of the forest was still quite damp from yesterday's rain.

 

Meanwhile, the third kiji of the group, Ravyne, was out walking on a patrol around the parameter of camp. Some things from wartime stuck with him, infrequent as campsites were for kijikaiaku. He paused for a moment to lift up his head and breathe in the morning air, which was still laden with the night's misty fog. Opening his eyes, he blinked and smiled as the rising sun created a brilliant rainbow, and after verifying that there was no danger lurking nearby, returned to camp to point the marvel of nature out to the others.

 

Faladir's ear flicked at the sound of his name, and it was just enough to start to rouse him. "Hmmmn?"

 

Gaël paused skinning a rabbit long enough to look up at where Ravyne was gesturing, and smiled. "What a pretty morning." He admired the rainbow for a few seconds, then went back to the bloody work, deft hands stripping the rabbit with practised skill.

 

"Breakfast will be ready soon, try not to be late," Devromos told his sleepy friend, tone amused. He lingered just long enough to be sure Fal wasn't going to fall right back asleep, then left to go help Gaël make the aforementioned breakfast - his husband was perfectly capable of doing it himself, but having two people work on it made it happen faster, and Devromos was hungry.

 

Ipala, meanwhile, sat on a log that Ravyne had brought over to the camp the night before, and began writing the previous day's learnings down in a blank journal he'd brought with him. He'd been too tired to write things down before bed, but now was a good time. That, and Devromos probably didn't need him 'nerding out' (as some of those from Etherium liked to put it) over the smokeless fires that followed Vyxréth around.

 

Faladir sat up and stretched. "Food?" He smelled blood on the damp morning air, and quickly pinpointed where it was coming from. "Ah." He patted around the grass for his glasses, and when he found them, wiped off debris and put them on his triangular face. Seeing Ipala writing in his journal reminded him that he should do the same, but first, nature called. He got up and wandered away from the camp to find some privacy.

 

By the time he returned, the rabbits were gutted and spitted, and roasting over Vyxréth's flames. "I brought seasonings, if you want to add to the meat," he offered.

 

Gaël looked away from the food long enough to regard Faladir, and smiled. "Sure, let me see what you have."

 

Faladir rifled through his pack, and produced a smaller wrapped package containing spice shakers. He unwrapped it and set the shakers within Gaël's reach, watched for a few seconds as his friend inspected them, then turned and went to sit where he'd spent the night. He pulled out his journal and pen and began making hasty notes of the previous day, but made sure to detail the key points of interest.

 

Like Ipala, he knew better than to 'nerd out' over whatever Devromos happened to be making use of at any given moment - at least, not if it meant being in his way. "What do you make of the fires around Vyxréth, Ipala?" he asked after a moment. "I'd normally call them pure magic, but they share his aura without sharing its dominant color."

 

Ipala paused in his writing, then looked up to observe the fires for a moment, tapping his inkpen absentmindedly against the side of his face. "They are intriguing, and they appear to be a passive effect - if it was an active spell, it would be an exhausting one to maintain over time, especially if kijikaiaku struggle with magic as much as they've said they do. But if they're not a passive enchantment, or magic at all, then their lack of smoke and airborne nature have interesting implications."

 

Ravyne sat down behind the two quietly, amused at the conversation.

 

"What do you suspect?" Faladir asked, a slow grin spreading across his face.

 

It really didn't take any further prompting than that for Ipala to launch into a lecture on the physics of combustion and what it meant for a fire to be smokeless, going as far as theorizing on the necessary behaviour of the energized molecules. Ravyne listened curiously, intrigued by the scientific take on what was, bluntly, just another part of Vyxréth same as any leg or wing.

 

Over where breakfast was cooking, Vyxréth barely paid Ipala and Faladir's chatter any mind, instead more interested in watching Gaël and Devromos 'cook.' It was an interesting experience, a part of himself normally used solely for combat or light finding another mundane utility, and while the dripping fat from the rabbit meat felt weird, it was far from the most unpleasant thing he'd used his fires for.

 

How do you tell when it's done? the golden kijikaiaku asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

 

Gaël finished seasoning the roasting meat. "When it's not pink on the inside anymore, or dripping blood. We can safely eat it sooner than that, I just like mine more thoroughly cooked."

 

Zerisint trotted over, sniffing at the air. It smells... interesting. Is it whatever you sprinkled on there? It doesn't smell like normal meat anymore.

 

"Yeah, that'd be the seasonings."

 

They chatted idly while breakfast continued cooking, and when it was almost done, Gaël pulled some plates and cutlery from his pack and handed it out to everyone. He had Devromos help him carve the rabbits up for serving, and then they all enjoyed a hot breakfast.

 

Once that was finished and cleaned up, it was time to move on.

 

"How far is it to the nearest settlement?" Faladir asked, slinging his pack back over his shoulder.

 

Two days, Ravyne replied. already standing at the edge of camp to lead the group onwards. Our initial route wasn't planned to cross through more settlements than necessary, so we're having to redirect a little.

 

"I see. I'll bet it's quicker if we fly. If Ipala and I shift back to our natural forms, we could carry Devromos and Gaël. Vyxréth, are you able to carry Ravyne and Zerisint?"

 

Our kind barely weigh anything, so yes, Vyxréth replied. Though taking off in the middle of a forest is a bit tricky with passengers.

 

Zerisint smiled. We'll cling really tight with our paws.

 

Faladir asked Devromos and Gaël, "Are you two alright with this plan?"

 

Gaël nodded. "It's hardly the first time I'd have done this."

 

Devromos folded his arms, but nodded, tail swishing behind him in an exaggerated sweep. "It's not something I'm a stranger to. The common means of travel to and from Nétéoraz was on flying mounts."

 

"Then if you two will be so kind as to carry our packs, we'll shift and be on the move," Faladir said.

 

--

 

Gaël clung to Ipala's mane and leaned close to his neck, legs slung on either side over his shoulders to stay out of the way of the wings. He didn't mention the last time he'd been carried in flight was a great many years ago, in the arms of another friend. Riding bareback without many handholds on a friend drakiri was entirely different matter, and one he found he didn't particularly enjoy.

 

His lefvada patterns glowed for the duration of their flight, blocking the wind chill from seeping into his skin, without hindering Ipala.

 

Faladir carried Devromos, having been careful first to ensure that his energy-membrane wings were set to not injure if accidentally touched.

 

Devromos was far more experienced than Gaël when it came to bareback riding a winged mount, drakiri or otherwise. As such, his body was aligned to be streamlined against Faladir's back, and while his hold was firm, it was also gentle - unless Faladir started doing crazy maneuvers, then aside from Devromos' weight it would've been easy to forget he was even there.

 

Ipala, meanwhile, patiently tolerated Gaël's more graceless manner of riding, and did his best to keep his flight as smooth as possible, soaring where he could and trying to minimize flapping even more than he usually did.

 

Zerisint hunkered down on Vyxréth's back, and did, in fact, hold on tight with his paws. Other than that, he enjoyed the wind in his fur, and the scenery sliding by below them.

 

They flew for hours, the drakiri having the stamina to keep up with the much larger energy being, and only stopped long enough for a lunch break and to give Gaël and Devromos a chance to stretch their legs. Night fell, and dinner hour approached, so they stopped to make camp once more.

 

The following day was much the same - uneventful, with drakiri and kijikaiaku learning what they could of eachother and sharing experiences about their respective worlds, Gaël maintaining a mindlink with his friends to help them communicate past the rushing air during flight.

 

A little after lunch passed, Faladir spied the evidence of a settlement in the distance. Before more longer, they reached a safe place to touch down, where Faladir and Ipala shifted back to their humanoid forms. They decided to make the rest of the trip on foot, since flying directly into the town would raise too many issues.

 

Faladir wove an illusion over his companions, giving them all clothes that better matched what this world was said to have according to their kijikaiaku friends, and then they moved along. Gaël's hand found Devromos' while they walked, and he smiled at his husband.

 

Zerisint brought up the rear of their party. It occurs to me, you all may not yet realize something.

 

"Being vague about what that something is is unhelpful," Devromos replied, tone carefully kept even as his temper flared. "Care to elaborate?"

 

I wasn't being vague, I just hadn't gotten to explaining yet. Zerisint's tailtip flicked. The people of this world cannot see us. They know we exist, but as we are energy beings... Well, it is a curiosity you all can see us as well as you can, without special technological aid. If you all wore glasses of some kind, I would suspect those were the aid, but since two of you can see us perfectly fine, I assume it's some natural drakiri ability to see the usually-unseeable?

 

Faladir said, "No, it is not. It is a fairly rare ability, though common among those in our circle, to see the auras of life forms. Sentient life all have astral forms, as well, so while you might be pure energy beings, you are so strong on our metaphysical 'radars,' so to speak, that we can see you with a fair amount of clarity." How well Devromos could see them, though, he was unsure, and he wasn't about to speak for his friend.

 

"I wear glasses because I'm almost physically blind otherwise," Ipala added. "They are alchemically treated, but only in the sense of preventing sun glare and similar."

 

"I'm partially an energy being myself," Devromos commented, waiting just long enough for Ipala to finish talking - his friend had unintentionally interrupted him, and Devromos was doing his best to keep from going off on the group. Petty things one after the other generally didn't help. "My aura sight isn't the strongest, but my heritage seems to allow me to see you clearly enough, if I'm not supposed to be seeing you at all without aura sight. But most are not planetouched like I am."

 

What is 'planetouched'? Zerisint asked.

 

Devromos was silent for a few moments as he calmed himself down and organized his thoughts. "First, are you at all familiar with energy beings other than your own kind?"

 

Hmm. Spirits, ghosts, and such, would be the closest, I think.

 

"If those are all, then apparently not. Not in the sense I'm talking about, anyway," Devromos sighed, then figured he might as well launch into a proper explanation. "First, to give context to what a 'planetouched' is, I must first explain what an outsider is. And not the 'from outside of home' kind of outsider. 'Outsider' is a colloquial term used for a species of energy beings that are all inherently very powerful and comprised of what are known as 'alignment' energies - the energy inherent in things like order, chaos, malevolence, and benevolence. Though made of pure energy, they're capable of forming physical bodies for themselves to interact with material things, and are easily seen by others. They are shapeshifters in the extreme, with no true form of their own, and exist independent of any master or source, though many do choose to serve one deity or another.

 

"Outsiders are somewhere between mortals and demigods when it comes to their physiology and capabilities. And when in a physical form, they are capable of breeding with any creature - I am not entirely certain of how that works, but it's been found that the very genetic code found in half-outsiders and planetouched is, in a way, quasi-aware and almost sapient in its own right. Half-outsiders are the first generation between an outsider and a physical mortal. Planetouched are usually the second generation or further down, and the outsider genetics have been known to go dormant - sometimes for centuries or millennia - before showing up again randomly in a planetouched child from two seemingly normal mortal parents.

 

"Then there are pactborn like myself. A pactborn's planetouched nature comes from an ancestor's pact with an outsider, resulting in the power becoming permanently entrenched in the bloodline - and guaranteed to breed true, making every subsequent generation guaranteed pactborn - at the expense of whatever the outsider demanded for it."

 

Zerisint was silent for a few moments as he mulled the information over. How... bizarre. I'm not sure what to make of it all. If there's anything like your 'outsiders' on the fringes of our world, we've never encountered them. Although, Gaia... Hmm.

 

"'Gaia' what?" Faladir asked.

 

She is a goddess, but I don't know if she's what you'd call an outsider.

 

"Deities are above any outsider. Outsiders are the weakest tier of divinity," Devromos told the dark kijikaiaku. "Though they mostly just congregate around the world of Alluani, but I could see about talking Xarxus to come visit if you'd like to meet one."

 

So long as no threat comes to our world, I would welcome the chance to speak with more of you, Ravyne said, smiling.

 

I, as well, Zerisint said. He paused to sniff the air. We're close. It will likely look strange if you speak out loud to us from here on, so I suggest you communicate through willpower until we are done with the town.

 

Gaël asked, "So you're coming in with us?"

 

Yes. The folk there won't sense us.

 

They also won't bump into us, Vyxréth commented with amusement. I'm used to stepping over smaller beings - a kijikaiaku can be as short as two feet - and it's easy enough for us to mold ourselves through small spaces. If there's a gap, we can fit, no matter how small.

 

Ipala raised an eyebrow. "Intriguing. If we've the time later, Vyxréth, there are a few things I'd like to ask you about."

 

Why not now?

 

"I'd rather not distract from more important matters."

 

Vyxréth had a chuckle at that. Fair enough.

 

-----

 

The group joined the main road to the town shortly before they arrived at the gate. The walls were made of wood, and while high enough for an Earth town, Devromos couldn't help but note they were lower than the average Alluanian town walls. Probably because Earth wasn't a Death World.

 

The guards wore what looked like standard maille, but wielded what looked like - very well maintained - antique firearms, which Devromos had to resist raising a brow at. Apparently, this Earth's technology level was very....mixed. But given the world's history, and that Gaia apparently hadn't the power Alluani had to create a technophobic ward around the planet, he supposed it wasn't too surprising in hindsight. Much though he wasn't fond of lectures, left to his own devices with books, Devromos did read, and so he was aware (through that, and having spent the majority of his life around academics) that the muskets the guards had were quite possible to maintain and produce with minimal fancy hardware and no machinery.

 

The group had no issues with the guards, who readily accepted the story the travellers provided (three of their number had, after all, spent years upon years walking Alluani's surface, and so knew the most likely explanations for damn near any situation upon coming to a town), and entered the town. The main road was a wide thoroughfare, with one- and two-story buildings - mostly houses, but also numerous shops - on either side. The road was made of compacted dirt, and grass grew near the sides of the houses, while gaps between the houses provided way for alleys and side roads. Carts pulled by horses, riders, and pedestrians all milled along the road, barely paying much mind to the newcomers.

 

Well, it certainly is quaint, Faladir commented over the mindlink.

 

It's strange, Gaël said. It's like ancient Terra out of the history books, only... wrong, in a lot of ways.

 

Well, let's just find a shop that sells what we're looking for, then stock up on food, and keep moving. No one use your infinity bags while here, we don't want to arouse suspicions.

 

Ravyne moved on ahead to help scout out for the shops the drakiri needed, while Vyxréth kept with the group - if anything happened, he was the best able to serve as a living shield, in part thanks to his size. Humans couldn't see him, but he was still solid enough to block (highly ineffective) bullets if needed.

 

It was Ipala, however, who actually found the clothes shop, having been watching the flow of people and goods to try estimating the likely location - it'd been more of a thought exercise to pass the time, so it was a pleasant surprise to be right.

 

The shop was like any of the other buildings around, with some plants in a trough up against the window, and what looked to be a station of a sort for people to tie their mounts to before doing inside. The shop's interior had polished wooden floors, and the walls were painted a pleasant, powdery blue. Clothing of various sorts where hung up in rows for customers to peruse, and the jingling of the windchime by the door alerted the shopkeeper standing behind a dark stained oak counter.

 

Faladir casually waved 'hello' to the shopkeeper, but mostly ignored her, moving on to peruse the aisles of clothing available. It didn't take long to find what they were all looking for, but there wasn't much left, given the season was turning to late Spring and the weather was due to warm up.

 

Gaël found a nice, thick knee-length coat, and stepped away from Devromos to get enough space to try it on. It was lined at the hems with soft fur, and had a hood that could be pulled close with a drawstring. Comfortable enough with it, he took it back off and searched for pants and a shirt, and shoes that wouldn't get ruined on his clawed feet. While he didn't strictly need all the clothes, it was better to have multiple magic-infused layers to keep the chill off.

 

Faladir had much the same idea, though as his own custom infused coat was already packed in his bag, all he needed to find was the few articles of clothing he lacked.

 

Ipala, like Faladir, was already mostly prepared. However, he conceded to find a pair of boots, if only for the added traction - his treated and infused anklets worked well enough to keep the chill away from his feet.

 

Devromos, meanwhile, didn't even bother, instead leaning against a wall and observing. While having long fur made heat particularly asinine (the reason he currently had it shapeshifted away), it also meant that the cold rarely fazed him much these days. Which, was pleasant enough, really, as unlike many tieflings, he had no particular resilience towards the heat or the cold on the supernatural front.

 

"Dev, you're not gonna get boots at least?" Gaël asked, laying his chosen clothes across one arm.

 

Devromos shook his head. "The cold won't bother me. If it becomes annoying, I can shift, and hooves are as good as boots." He offered a smile. "But thank you." The smile faded, and he inclined his head towards the storekeeper. "Might want to use a translation spell when it's time to purchase, or we get to play a game of charades."

 

"I will," Faladir said. "I'm done if everyone else is."

 

"I have what I need," Gaël said.

 

"I'm also finished," Ipala added, carefully navigating around the racks to avoid bumping his currently-invisible wings into anything.

 

Why didn't you use a translation spell earlier, instead of asking for a mindlink, when we met at the portal? Vyxréth asked, having carefully fitted his bulk into one of the corners of the store so as to be out of the way.

 

Because my brain was more focused on being frustrated at something stupid than on finding solutions, Devromos replied over the mindlink.

 

Faladir's lefvada patterns glowed briefly, completely masked by his previous illusion, and he cast the needed translation spell as he approached the shopkeeper.

 

"Headed somewhere cold?" the young woman asked.

 

Faladir smiled cordially. "We are, yes. Do you accept precious gems or gold for your wares?"

 

"Gold's easier to manage. If you're asking, I take it you're travellers and don't have the local mint."

 

"I'm afraid not. We haven't had the chance yet to make an exchange."

 

While the two discussed what to trade and how much, Gaël stood next to Devromos, and sighed softly, half tuning out the noise. It was interesting, but he really didn't care quite enough to keep his attention on it.

 

Eventually, Faladir and the shopkeep settled on a price, and Faladir handed over three gleaming golden coins, which the woman happily accepted. With that, the group filtered out of the shop, and then went to find food.

 

Shall we rest here for the night and learn more about this world while we've the opportunity, or simply keep moving? Faladir asked.

 

Ravyne had rejoined them shortly before the group had left the shop, and he hesitated at Faladir's question. We are on something of a timer. Gaia sent us to aid one who may have run into trouble, so the time we have is not generous.

 

...Very well. Then we'll keep moving. But let us have a bit of a break. Unlike you, we need to sleep, and our wings must rest.

 

Gaël pointed out a road that had various food stands lining either side. "Why don't we shop there?"

 

---

 

No-one had protested Gaël's suggestion, and so the group perused the food stalls for the next hour. There were a plethora of different foods and recipes, a few Devromos even made a mental note of - while he wasn't nearly as into cooking as Reid was, it was a pleasant enough hobby, and he figured his friend would appreciate something new to try. This Earth had a few things that Terra hadn't.

 

Gaël found a snack food stand, and after some back and forth with the shopkeeper, purchased some candied fruits speared on wooden sticks. He handed one to Devromos, then offered a stick each to Ipala and Faladir.

 

Faladir gratefully took one, and popped a fruit in his mouth with a pleased hum.

 

--

 

The rest of the trip was smooth and passed without issue, though Faladir did purchase several maps. First a local map, then one of the continent, then a world map, all of which he tucked away into his increasingly bulking-out shopping tote. As soon as they were out of the town and out of line of sight from any other people, he carefully folded the maps and put them into his infinity bag.

 

The clothing, he worked with Gaël to infuse with magic to protect against the vicious chill they were expecting to face. That alone took another half hour, but once that was over with, they were able to get back up in the air and continue their journey together.

 

They flew for as long as they could, but Faladir finally grew tired in spite of his stamina and various lefvada tricks, and so called for them to make camp once the waning moon was past its zenith.

 

Vyxréth wasn't even breathing hard, while Ipala all but collapsed onto the ground once camp was made, drained and fairly sure his wings were going to complain in the morning - they were already burning somewhat. While he had an alchemical tonic for that, Ipala wanted to avoid it for now - his wings would heal better if he delayed use of the tonic.

 

"If we're going to be doing that more often, I'm going to need to alter my routine," Ipala joked, sitting back up. His wings were partially unfolded and resting against the grass, as opposed to their usual fold up against his back - though he'd caught his breath, he hadn't quite summoned the energy to fold them properly.

 

It will be roughly a week before we hit the ocean, if we continue this pace, Ravyne spoke up, lying down near Ipala, while Vyxréth took up guard at the edge of camp, a tall, silent guardian. But there is a port town on the coast that we won't even need to divert our course to reach, if you would prefer to purchase passage.

 

"I don't fancy trying to fly endless miles over the ocean," Faladir said, also out of breath and resting on his stomach, not even bothering to shapeshift to humanoid form yet. "So yes, we will purchase passage, and pray to whoever listens that the trip will be safe and swift."

 

Gaël walked stiffly away from Ipala to join with Devromos, and plopped next to him on the grass with a tired sigh. He wasn't as drained as his flying friends, but it was still rough just hanging on for hours on end.

 

Zerisint circled the perimeter of where they seemed to have chosen to camp for the night, looking out at the open fields. The air was slightly humid, and sure enough, looking up, he spied a rainbowed halo around the moon, signifying an oncoming storm despite the sparsely clouded sky. You'd better set up another one of those barriers to shield yourself from the elements, he told Faladir.

 

"Hmm? Bad weather coming?"

 

If the sky is any indicator, very bad. Tomorrow will be rough flying if the storm persists.

 

"Wonderful."

 

Devromos thought for some moments, considering if he wanted to make the offer. "I could take us through the Plane of Shadow as a way around the storm, but I cannot say how long I could manage. Taking one person with me is one thing, but it's exponentially more draining the more people I pull in. Never tried six before. And there's no guarantee the plane won't hurt the kijikaiaku."

 

"Well," Faladir said, "we are on a time limit, right? It might be worth the risk, if it means rescuing their fellow kiji. How long do you think you could manage transporting us through the plane?"

 

Zerisint eyed Devromos with curiosity.

 

Devromos hmm'd, going over memories of the previous times he'd taken more than one person with him through the plane. "If I'm rested at the time, I may be able to manage an hour or more, which would still cut days from our travel time. I might be able to last for longer, but I cannot say until we try it. I'll need a good description of a reliable landmark on this plane, however, or there's a fair chance we'll go off course - I'm not familiar with this world enough to just go off of vague direction. "

 

Zerisint nodded. Then eat, sleep, and we will talk more in the morning. We will try your Plane of Shadow, wary though I am.

 

"You may wish to brace yourself when it's time," Devromos advised, not about to let the kiji learn the hard way. "The Plane of Shadow is rarely kind to those not truly meant for it, but its primary danger is only if you stay there for too long. It will probably be unpleasant, but for the time we'll be there, it won't be lethal. Not with me as guide and guard."

 

I have lived through a great many unpleasantries, this will be just another to a long list. While wary himself, Ravyne was calm about the matter.

 

What sort of things can we expect? Zerisint asked.

 

"I'm not sure what new effects a kijikaiaku might experience, but the common side-effects for those not native to the plane include malaise, nausea, despondence if they're there for a really long time. Those more reliant on light tend to be more severely affected, as the Plane of Shadow is, well... It's a twisted mirror world of shadow and darkness, most can't see very far on it. Distances are warped, and the environment is mutable. Part of the danger without a guide is getting lost, or accidentally running into the territory of someone inherently hostile."

 

Doesn't sound entirely pleasant, though definitely intriguing, Zerisint said.

 

While they were busy talking, Faladir shifted back to his humanoid form, and put on one of his long robes. He occupied himself getting food out and ready, and asked for Gaël's assistance. Together, they got dinner prepared. "It's not bad," Gaël said, "but it does take some getting used to. I think the main concern is, how will energy beings like yourselves react to it, when you're not outsiders?"

 

Vyxréth looked to Ravyne, who could only shrug. The purple kiji then looked back to Gaël. The only kijikaiaku I know of who has any experience with dimensional travel would be Nyxathta, who is nowhere nearby. And his experience was eased by the presence of a keirolté.

 

Devromos blinked. Keirolté really get around, don't they... he commented over the more private mindlink.

 

They certainly do, Faladir agreed.

 

In time, dinner was ready and distributed, and idle chatter ensued. Once it was finished and cleaned up, Gaël once again curled up next to Devromos, and Faladir set up a barrier to get rid of bugs and keep out the elements before bedding down for the night.