What We Do to Survive

Liam led the way into the restaurant, pushing past the intricate beaded curtain that served as a door and holding it back for me as I followed after him. The ‘House of Blue Fins’ was an airy, two story building with plenty of windows and lots of natural light even at this time of early evening. A local woman standing just inside the doorway gave us a deep curtsey of some sort, bowing her head with one arm placed on her exposed chest in addition to the typical bent knees.

“This hostess greets you. Do the good visitors have a reservation?”

I left the talking to Liam, instead looking around with interest at the restaurant and staff. A half dozen young women dressed in the same light blue and with matching piercings served as the visible waitstaff, flittering between the tables with large jugs or trays balanced against their hips.

Though it was slightly earlier than I associated with a typical dinner, the restaurant seemed quite busy already, all but a few of the twenty tables I could see filled with smiling patrons. Though the place was primarily filled with locals, I saw two other tables where the guests clearly stood out from the crowd.

A trio of green skinned half-orcs sat by one of the windows with a short local man wearing his hair in an elaborate series of long, multi-colored braids. On the other side of the restaurant, two heavily tanned men nursed drinks as they poured over the pages of a thick book.

I was struck by how… familiar the place looked, despite being an entire world away from my homeland. Barring some of the odder decorative choices and the garments of the waitstaff, this place could have been in any number of the towns and cities I’d passed through during my travels. I was curious if most local restaurants looked like this, or if this was perhaps a place built to appeal to foreigners that had grown popular with the locals as well.

It seemed strange that it would look so… ordinary. Until very recently, travel between the continents was limited to the rich and powerful. Only in the last two centuries had sailors and shipbuilders developed the techniques to reliably cross the vast ocean between the continents.

Two centuries sounded like a lot, but a powerful mage could live for twice that, longer if they used potions and rituals to extend their lifespans. The original Myrddin had lived for almost a full millenia, long enough that even the ancient lords of the elves grew to respect his age and wisdom. Since many rulers were themselves powerful mages, or at least had the means to purchase life-extending treasures and spells, change came slowly in all but the most dire circumstances.

Liam’s quiet argument with the hostess ended when a tall, jovial looking local man rose from his table and briskly made his way over to the front, raising a hand in greeting towards us. To my senses, he was clearly a mage of some skill, his mana density made me think he was likely in the fourth or fifth circle. However, I could also feel that he wore a tremendous quantity and quality of magic items, with everything from his sandals to his jewelry and hair ties gleaming with magic. Though he wore little gold or gems on his person, it was a clear sign of wealth to any that could sense it.

Liam returned the man’s greeting with a broad smile and the two men clasped forearms and exchanged kisses on the cheeks. Beckoning me over, Liam stepped away from the man. “Nalan, this is the other student I mentioned. Orion, meet Nalan, he’s a merchant specializing in exotic reagents that I’ve worked with in the past.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” I extended my hand and was somewhat thankful when he was content to simply shake it without any of the more… personal greeting. Liam had taken it in stride, but he clearly knew the man quite well.

“It is a pleasure to meet another good-mage of Avalon. Liam spoke highly of your talent when last we met.” He spoke with a faint accent that sounded noticeably different from the one Kan and the hostess had used. Perhaps he was from a different region? “Come, let us dine before we speak business. I’m told they brought in a fresh catch of deepsilver snappers today.”

Despite his statement, Liam and Nalan quickly fell into a discussion about some sort of rare slug that was growing difficult to source in the local area. I tried to follow along as best I could, but I was pretty lost by the technical details of their discussion. From what I could tell, Nalan had some sort of stake in the company that harvested the slugs, but the company was struggling to keep up with a contract they had signed that promised some other organization a certain number of slugs per month.

I quietly sat back and listened, enjoying the cold, sweet drink we’d been served the moment we’d all sat down. It was thoroughly refreshing after an hour in the terrible, muggy heat and the server came by every few minutes to refill our drinks. After a few minutes, I realized that the drink was mildly alcoholic, though I couldn’t taste it at all under the fruity tang. I thought about asking for something else, but decided against it after another sip. Instead, I simply pushed more mana into several of my circulations, that would be enough to purge this level of alcohol before it could noticeably affect me.

The two paused only when the food was finally served fifteen minutes later. I hadn’t ordered anything, but it seemed like this was one of those restaurants that served everyone a specific menu. I’d never been at one like that before, but I’d heard of the concept. They were apparently horribly expensive, but Liam had said he would pay so I didn’t let it bother me.

The first course was served on a large plate artfully decorated by swirls of a sweet red sauce. At the center of each plate was a small pile of thinly sliced and lightly fried fish. It was served with several pieces of delicate, flaky pastry that perfectly complemented the lightly crisped fish and sweet sauce. It was gone disappointingly quickly, even though I tried my best to eat at the same slow pace as the other diners.

The next course appeared quickly, once again served on an absurdly oversized and heavily decorated plate. At the center was another bowl, filled with a bright orange fish stew. It was once again served with small slices of pastry, this time a dense bread that I saw the others use to mop up the stew. Once again, it was delicious, reminding me of one of the odder meals served in the cafeteria near the start of the semester. Perhaps a local dish of some sort? That would have been right about when the portal moved to the port city.

The next course was somewhat strange. The same girl as before collected our plates and returned with wide saucers filled with a deep blue liquid. It was almost yogurt like in consistency, thinner than any sort of pudding but thicker than I expected a drink to be. Once again, I copied the others and slowly sipped at the oddly savory and slightly spicy drink. It was nice, I decided after a moment. Not something I would typically choose, but certainly a pleasant experience.

I could feel the smells wafting from the kitchen, divided from the main room by only a long curtain of beaded strands. Something incredible was frying back there, and even as I finished the third course I was already salivating for the next. Unfortunately, the universe had other plans.

Liam froze mid sip, the half full saucer falling from his fingers as he stiffened and turned to look towards the street outside. I felt it a moment later, as did many of the other diners who I’d identified early on as mages. A buildup of mana glowed like a tiny sun in my senses, easily felt even from far outside my typical range of detection.

The restaurant burst into pandemonium, some mages rising from their seats while others ducked behind chairs and under tables. Liam raised a hand and spat a series of words that rang through the air like the pounding of a gong. A thick haze of yellow smoke formed around him, then stretched to wrap around me and Nalan like a cloak.

The next moment, the world exploded in a torrent of water and sound. The front of the restaurant was blown open by a wave of icy water as tall as a man, tearing through the thick stone walls like they were paper and flooding into the room. I cast a shield spell, but the convex dome of force flickered and died in an instant under the weight of the approaching tide. I tried desperately to backpedal, but the table was between me and the back of the restaurant and I fell back, knocking my half full cup to the floor.

Then the crashing wave hit me, screams echoing in my ears and a haze of terror clouding my mind. It had only been two days. Not even a week since the last time. I… hadn’t been able to do anything. Anything at all.

The wave parted around me like a school of fish before a shark. Water hit the yellow mist and rebounded back with greater force, not even a drop passing through to soak my clothes. Liam was saying something, tugging at the collar of my shirt as Nalan moved to stand behind him.

I stared blankly at the body of the girl who’d just served my food. She lay unmoving just a few steps away, body folded and head cracked open against a decorative statue of a fisherman. The jug she’d been carrying lay beside her, staining the shallow water around her yellow-white. Two of the half-orcs lay beside her, both either dead or unconscious. The third was splayed across their table, legs visibly broken and bleeding heavily from gashes across his chest and arms.

Someone was shaking me, and then I felt a wave of mana slam through my defenses, shocking me out of my stupor. “...Stand up Orion, get behind me!”

“What… Oh, right!” I shook my head and scrambled across the table to join my dinner companions. Climbing off the table, I carefully watched my footing, the floor hidden by a foot of turbulent water slowly rushing out throught he large gaps torn in the walls and floor.

The yellow smoke had mostly dispersed, its power drained from countering the force of the rushing waters, but some still lingered in a thin haze around us. Looking around, I could see several other groups had survived the sudden attack, primarily those that had either powerful mages or magical items among their numbers.

A besital roar echoed from outside, several of the survivors flinching back from the thunderous sound. Nalan let out what sounded like a local curse, “My good-mage Liam, a sea dragon!” Wide eyes from around the restaurant turned to look at the merchant. “I recognize the roar, I was in Janga during the last attack.”

“A sea dragon? Here? In the city!” One man cried out, incredulously, “That’s impossible!”

One of the other foreigners, the taller of the two tanned men, stepped forward. “Sea dragon or not, something is out there.” As if to punctuate his words, another roar echoed through the city.

Any further conversation was stifled when we all sensed another overwhelming star of mana form in the distance. It was weaker and further away, but that did not stop any of us as we all cast shields and protective spells around us. Liam conjured another wave of yellow smoke, then grit his teeth as his mana flexed and twisted in front of him. An impossibly complex spell matrix formed between his outstretched hands, and then thick, gelatinous walls of force rose up around the shattered restaurant, encasing the three of us and the dozen other survivors in a translucent dome.

Panting, Liam let his arms fall to his sides as the others crowded together towards us and thus the center of the dome. Turning towards me, I felt his mana reaching out and then a whisper murmured into my ear. “Orion, if that really is a true dragon out there, we need to get out of here. Do you remember how to get back to the portal?”

I nodded slightly, not wanting to ruin Liam’s efforts to hide our communication. I’d tried the exercise to use mana to create sound, but I was still limited to single noises and syllables.

“Good. As long as the dragon itself doesn’t come in this direction, I can protect us. I think it's out over the harbor, that opening attack was just a show of power. I don’t think it will target us all the way out here, but discretion is the better part of valor. If we can get to the portal, we will be safe even if it decides to come this way.”

I nodded again, Liam’s calm tone helping to sooth my racing heart. A dragon, an honest to gods true dragon. An ancient beast able to fight a dozen archmages and bring ruin to entire nations. I had no idea what the port city had done to raise its ire, but I didn’t want to be here to experience it. That first attack would have killed me if Liam hadn’t been here. One attack, and the beast itself was what felt like miles away.

I shuddered as I imagined the damage it must have done to the city. Had I been one of the last people to see the city in all its glory? I wondered what would be left when the beast was driven away or simply chose to leave. Nalan and the others seemed similarly shaken, Liam standing as a comparatively calm beacon of strength at the center of the room.

Liam hopped up on one of the tables that hadn’t been washed away and addressed the rest of the group, “Calm down everyone, the fight seems to be quite far away. My companions and I will step out and scout the area. Everyone else, stay inside the dome. It should hold for a few hours as long as there aren’t too many more attacks.”

His declaration was met with a flurry of questions and pleas to stay, but he ignored it. I tilted my head at Nalan, but Liam shook his head slightly. Fair enough, I barely knew the man and I couldn’t imagine he would be safer if we took him back to Avalon. The only outsiders allowed inside the realm were either powerful visitors scheduled far in advance, or slaves. There was very little room in between.

I waded after Liam as he opened a narrow gap in the thick bubble and stepped through. The water was deeper outside the protective shield and I almost tripped several times over rubble hidden under the murky water. My sandal slipped as I stepped on something warm and squishy, and I swallowed heavily when a broken corpse bobbed up out of the water. If I’d been here on my own, that could have been me.

Carefully picking our way past broken stone and collapsed furniture, we finally emerged into the city proper. The clear sky had been overtaken by a thick layer of dark clouds that covered the setting sun, throwing the city into a gloomy dusk. In the distance, I could see tiny shapes flickering through the air, bright bolts of light momentarily illuminating the shadowy form above them. That was the dragon, I assumed. It seemed the city’s defenders had come out to fight it, but from this distance I couldn’t tell how well that was going.

The well paved streets were flooded, bodies and rubble floating slowly in the knee deep water. I could see where the city’s drainage system tried to fight against the floodwaters, but they had never been designed to deal with so much water all at once. I could see some survivors similarly picking through the dark street, but there weren’t many.

Liam’s voice whispered in my ears again. “Do you know the levitation exercise?” My eyes widened as I realized what he was suggesting. Looking around, I found a large chunk of rock sticking out of the water and clambered onto it. Closing my eyes, I focused my mana around me, carefully letting it push upwards around me in an exercise I hadn’t thought much of in months.

When I stepped off the rock, I landed gently on the surface of the water, my mana easily hardening it enough to hold my weight. Liam was already beside me, though he seemed to be floating a few millimeters above the surface instead of standing on it. I could do the same, but it would be far less efficient and I didn’t have that much mana to burn.

“Good, let’s go.” We took off down the road. It took a little while to get the hang of it, but Liam showed me how to propel myself properly with my mana and soon we were moving at a fast run. We both strained our mana senses, constantly on the lookout for more attacks, but none came. In the distance, thunder boomed and the air hummed with magic as a large group of mages faced off against the dragon.

We passed a terrifying number of dead. The streets had been rather full, and without other protection, anyone who hadn’t been on a top floor had been washed away by the first attack. Several times, I was forced to run across floating corpses, the entire street covered by their bodies.

We made it to the square in barely ten minutes, only having to detour once where a collapsed building was fully blocking off the road. The square was in ruins, shattered market stalls and waterlogged trade goods intermixed with more dead. I remembered just how busy the square had been, there must have been thousands of people, and now it was as silent as the grave. Whatever mages had survived had better things to do than watch the portal.

Behind its powerful wards, the portal itself was abuzz with activity. A full two dozen mages, including several staff members I recognized, were moving around inside the bubble. Four war golems stood outside the wards, heads swiveling around and massive arms held up at the ready.

Liam and I stopped at the edge of the square, content to approach the portal itself at a more leisurely pace. It was typically a bad idea to startle a group of Avalon mages, particularly an agitated group. We made it barely halfway across the field when Liam stopped, dropping back into the water as he leaned over to examine one of the bodies. Stretching out with my mana sense to see what had caught his attention, my eyebrows shot up when I felt a lingering spark in the body. It was faint, but they were alive.

With a grunt of excursion, Liam lifted the body partially up into the air. Water dribbled from between the young woman's lips and she looked half drowned, but a quick spell from Liam cleared out her airways, letting the unconscious girl take a shuddering breath of air.

He let go, catching her before she hit the ground with a spell that lifted her up into the air and slowly spun her around. He hummed thoughtfully, then turned back to me. “Want her?”

What? “Um, what?” I asked in confusion.

“Do you want her? I thought she might have a strong water affinity, but it's something a little more exotic than what I was looking for. I saw you eyeing up the serving girls, the purple skin doesn’t do it for me but she is pretty cute.”

What. That was not what I’d been expecting.

“If you aren’t interested, I’m just gonna dump her back. More hassle than it’s worth for me, but you’re still pretty new. At the very least, it's always good to have some humanoid test subjects on hand.”

Well. That was something. I took a closer look at the still floating girl. The wave had torn part of her garment, leaving even more of her body exposed than the odd clothes did usually. She was of average height, had long hair dyed pink and blue, and as Liam had said, was kind of cute. The features were unfamiliar, but she looked delicate in a way that reminded me of one of my first childhood sweethearts.

I weighed my options. I could tell she was barely a mage at all, so holding her wouldn’t be a problem. I absolutely did have some magic I needed to test, and kidnapping classmates wasn’t always the safest of options. Did I feel comfortable just… picking her up from the side of the road? A part of me said no, that was going too far, but that part of me had shrunk over the years. If she was just going to die if we left her here anyway…

“Um, yeah sure. I can see how that would be useful.”

“Cool, catch. Remember, disasters are great for this sort of thing. No one notices a couple of missing bodies after an earthquake or a flood.” That was… grimmer advice than I’d expected from him, but it was a good thing to know. He levitated her over to me, then released the spell. I caught her mid air with my own spell, then changed my mind and simply floated her over my shoulder. Tapping my finger on her forehead, I cast a simple sleep spell. With her magic as weak as it was, it was no effort to overcome her magic resistance.

As we approached the portal, one of the golems swiveled to stare at us with its glimmering crystal eyes. We both shaped our mana in the sign we’d been taught in our first years, something identifying us as mages of Avalon. It wasn’t a particularly tricky bit of magic, but it was an effective deterrent. Few people were willing to claim membership they didn’t have. Avalon came down on violators like, well, an angry dragon.

The golem continued to watch us, but did nothing to impede us as we crossed through the wards. We were met by one of the same guards as before, though he seemed much less relaxed than he had been before. He hurried us through the portal, only letting us stop for the short moment needed to mark us in the record stone.

Inside the portal room, it was busier than when we’d left, but not nearly as much as the outer area. Several other golems had been powered up and stood just outside the portal, but there were only a few additional people in the room. Once again, we both marked ourselves in the record stone, and then we were free to go. No one even gave the girl over my shoulder a second glance.

“Well, ah,” I bit my lip, “thanks for the invite? And the girl I guess.” I shrugged. “I had a good time before the well, dragon attack.”

Liam chuckled, “Yeah, that wasn’t quite what I was expecting either. A shame we never had a chance to speak with Nalan more, but I doubt he would have time for you any time soon now. He’ll be scrambling to pick up the pieces after this disaster.” He shook his head sadly, “A real shame that. The city was a real gem, but they’ll be rebuilding and recovering for decades I’m afraid. I’ll probably have to find a lot of new contacts. Still, that’s the way these things go sometimes.”

I nodded not knowing how else to respond to that. “I guess. Well, I should probably get this one settled before she wakes up. Thanks?”

He laughed again. “Always happy to help a promising junior. If they don’t decide to move the portal tonight, I might go out again later and see what I can find. Always some good looting to do at times like these. You go ‘get settled’ if that's what you young people call it these days.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

I had a strong urge to punch him, but resisted. I’d just seen the sort of magic a mage like him was capable of, and it only reinforced my conviction to never piss off the upper years. He acted rather friendly with me, but I wasn’t willing to push things.