29 – The Briar and the Bramble

Continuous casting grated at Vivi. Although the siphoning of mana didn’t nauseate her like repeatedly casting [Blink], maintaining two [Fly] spells along with other effects created a constant drain. A leak could never deplete an ocean, but she likened the experience to solving simple math problems for hours on end. Not difficult, but irritating regardless of the complexity.

She pushed through. While this wouldn’t be her preferred method of travel, she could suffer mild agitation if it meant a fast trip to Meridian, and more importantly, one without further incident.

It almost surprised her when some level 2000 beast didn’t interrupt them on the way. Her standards were low; she had genuinely expected another unreasonable incident to intercept their flight. But one didn’t.

They passed city after city, forests and swamps and plains and plateaus. She recognized most, but not all, of the scenery. She’d spent hundreds of hours in these various low-level zones, but Seven Cataclysms was huge, and she could hardly remember every square mile across the continent.

For the parts she did recognize, she found herself fascinated by seeing those hunting grounds translated into reality. Despite the discomfort of maintaining her various spells, she found herself enjoying the trip.

Finally, Meridian crested the horizon.

The capital of the human kingdoms possessed no towering walls to rival Prismarche’s—only a squat perimeter maybe twelve feet high. Firstly because the metropolis sprawled too many miles to encircle with titanic walls of enchanted stone, and secondly, because there were few places safer than the southern lands of the Central Kingdom. Guard patrols and rookie adventurers culled the magical threats that spawned in this environment of stiflingly low passive mana. Even the wall that did exist was for peace of mind more than anything. Or maybe ingress and egress control?

Vivi touched down half a mile outside of the city. Saffra joined her, wobbling on unsteady legs as Vivi dispelled the various spells affecting them.

“[Fly] legs,” Saffra commented, taking tentative steps around. Vivi raised an eyebrow, and Saffra’s cheeks colored as she realized the statement didn’t make much sense. “Like sea legs. [Fly] legs. The ground feels weird.”

Vivi took a few steps and agreed. After hours of near-supersonic air travel, walking on solid ground felt strange.

“Why didn’t we fly all the way in?” Saffra asked.

“To avoid attention.”

Maybe that was paranoia, but the city might have detection spells to alert the City Guard about invisible flying archmages. She could probably detect them, but better to be safe. And if not a detection spell, perhaps a resident would notice. As the capital city, Meridian hosted a number of extremely powerful individuals. The archmages at the Thaumaturgical Institute to name the obvious.

She could go a full day without being the cause of some debacle, and she would prove it. She was a normal person, simply surveying Meridian, her home, and guild, seeing how they all had changed.

No more incidents.

They had set down on a hill, and Saffra gazed at Meridian with a complicated expression. “Why here, by the way? I’m just wondering, it’s okay if you don’t want to answer.”

Vivi considered. “I need to contact someone. Several someones.”

“Oh?”

“But it’s been a while. They might not live here anymore.”

“Old friends?”

She mulled that over. “Of a sort.”

Saffra looked like she wanted to ask more, but she didn’t press. Vivi wasn’t sure what she would have said if she did.

They trekked down the hill and onto the road. They received a few curious looks from the wagon drivers and foot travelers, but nothing that stuck. Traffic was heavy on a road leading to the capital city, especially at this time of day in bright, dry weather. But not enough they couldn’t find a pocket of space to walk without being bothered.

The gate guards seemed to be inspecting wagons but letting foot traffic pass through unimpeded. No wars embroiled the human kingdoms, and a peacetime Meridian had far too many daily visitors to vet everyone who came through.

Past the walls, chaos met her. Inns, stables, stalls, general stores, wagon repair shops—everything needed to cheaply host a traveler stepping foot into the city for the first time. Though frantically busy, loud, and smelly, as expected of a city, the streets were cobblestone and relatively clean despite the traffic. While not the modern concrete sidewalks and roads Vivi was used to, the infrastructure, upkeep, and general cleanliness were higher than she had expected. She had magic to thank, she assumed. [Tidy] was a tier-two spell, and never mind whatever other innovations the locals put to use. This world was technologically behind hers, but also, she suspected, ahead in some ways.

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As a fortress-city tucked to the far north of the continent, Prismarche served as a home to far more adventurers and other high-level folk than Meridian. While Meridian, a capital city, hosted powerful organizations like the Thaumaturgical Institute—and the High King and other noble houses—the masses were predominantly commoners. Vivi saw few men or women walking around in armor or donning the colorful metal badges of an adventurer, as had been frequent in Prismarche.

“Where to?” Saffra asked.

She paused. Great question. She wanted to access her personal stash first, but that would be in her manor in the Noble’s District. Gut instinct told her that, much as she’d promised herself there would be no incidents, trying to access Vivisari Vexaria’s wealthy, famous, and perhaps abandoned estate in the heart of the Noble’s District would come with complications.

Meaning Saffra should stay behind. Especially since Vivi’s next stop would be the guild, which might be even more of a debacle.

“I’ll be dealing with personal business,” Vivi told Saffra. “Is there somewhere you’d like to stay? You lived here for—how long?”

Saffra grimaced and looked away. “A few years.”

“I see. Does that mean…is there anyone you want to see?”