Chapter Two: Introduction to Ray

The rope hung so high, it was dizzying to look up to the tiny stone platform hovering above. Ray stood below- his white tee and gray sweatpants making him look like a sleepwalker- on the gray of the tower floor. No jewel dangled from his ear, no pendant hung from his neck, gloves did not protect his bare hands, and strangest of all, he carried no weapon, vulnerable to the dangers of Orbis tower.

The magician studied the rope, as if there was something to the way it hung silently. His ungloved hand slowly came up to gently grip the golden rope. Then he shifted his palm so that he held it more firmly. His free hand drifted up to ruffle his uncovered eerie indigo hair once again, and if it hadn't been oddly clumped before, he now looked mad. The rest of it swept around his face. His stony eye glimmered.

The Orbis Tower stretched from land to sky- almost impossibly high- but its depths only challenged adventurers, as he had been challenged a long time ago. It was almost funny to look at this as a challenge now. He couldn't teleport. It would have been funny if the seriousness wasn't plunging him into cold reality. As a magician, he should have been able to vanish on the spot and just appear magically on the top of the platform as easily as one could take a step forward. Yet he could not.

Looking up at the rope again, he thought it looked a lot like an illusion, just a thin line going up and up and up. There was really no sense in staring. No matter how hard his mind would command his body, his arms wouldn't even tense. He could almost feel the simple task gaining weight, heavier and heavier and heavier. How could this feel so impossible? Uneasy about the growing fear in his stomach, his fingers jerked away. The fear settled, washed away by a more unsettling thought, his loss of a goal. With a great heave, he turned, only to face a pair of curious brown eyes.

He didn't let the surprise register in his face. This stranger was looking at him quite openly, not edging backwards as Ray was doing at this invasion of personal space. The stray strands of the thief's hair drifted down like sunlight, where it wasn't quite tucked into the dark gray beanie. The beanie matched the rest of her black outfit, which fit like loose cloth, and were almost embarrassingly too big for such a small person. So this person was a rogue. They were adept at sneaking around and notorious for almost having the power of invisibility, which meant (his skin prickled with embarrassment) that the thief could have been present throughout his little episode of struggle. Then he realized that he hadn't actually done anything; all she would have seen was how he had grabbed the rope then let go.

"Are you trying to get up the tower?" asked the thief. The thief took a step close to the rope, and stood firmly away from it. Ray gave a quick nod.

The thief glanced back at him and asked, "You're reaching for the heavens?" He was taken back by the multiple meanings of her question and realized heaven was only Orbis, the home of the fairies, the city of clouds. He nodded with his face composed.

"You're going up there too?" asked Ray, unsure of why he had bothered to ask. If she was asking, maybe she intended to go there as well. Magic-less as he was, it could be useful to travel with someone.

Actually, I was hoping I could explore the depths of the tower a bit," said the thief. "But I wasn't sure about going in there myself," she continued, pausing to look down. Ray inwardly cursed his misfortune. The only – possibly – helpful stranger he could meet had to be an exploring novice. These lands were no place for beginners. A reckless move and she could get herself killed.

"What if I went with you," he asked lamely. He might save her life if he steered her away from the more dangerous trenches in Aqua. The thief turned towards him skeptically as if she hadn't expected an answer from him.

"Weren't you going to travel up the tower?"

"I changed my mind. It looks like you'll need my help," the magician answered as powerfully as he could though he didn't look like he could actually fight. He probably needed her help more than she needed his, but she didn't need to know that. The thief crinkled her eyebrows in distress. Maybe he had upset her with the word need.

"You hardly look battle-worthy, but I'll trust that you know what to do," she nodded. He raised an eyebrow at her comment. He didn't think she looked battle-worthy herself. He could probably persuade her to take the easier routes. Maybe by traveling with her, he could figure out a way to unleash this lock on his magic.

"Do you know what's down there?" she asked. Ray certainly knew what was down there: a journey that a magic-less magician was definitely not ready for.

"Some water. Cold water. Melted ice water," he mumbled distractedly. "You know it's feeling cold. Shouldn't we wait until tomorrow?" Though he didn't want to seem like he was having second thoughts, he really didn't feel like doing down the tower with some novice in the dark of evening. The thief looked very unhappy at that thought.

"I don't have any money for an inn. Or for anything at all," she said. "So unless you're going to pay for me, or camp out with me." She thought she saw him flinch. "Either way it's your loss."

"That's all right with me," he shrugged.

"All right then," she exclaimed.

"All right?" he echoed. He didn't feel alright. He wasn't even sure how to plan his next move. She gave him a funny look.

"You okay?" He stayed silent.

"Let's camp right here," she decided. He evaluated their surroundings. Water dripped from the dark underwater passage nearby. The stone floor of the tower wasn't thick enough to mask the sound of tricking melting water underneath them.

"A little dank isn't it?" he commented.

"It's perfectly dry up here. It's sheltered from the snow and cold outside." She waved her arm at the thick walls around them. "And there is fresh running water below us," she explained. "All we need is a fire, which means we'll have to go out to look for firewood." He agreed silently.

The snow crunched beneath their feet as they tromped over piles here and there. Even in the fading light of dusk, the snow was brilliant and clean. There was no sign of small trees however. The forest had a quiet air to it, but the male traveler broke the peace with the inevitable question.

"My name is Stram." Then she said with great deliberation, "Thief extraordinaire." He raised an eyebrow.

"What a grand introduction," he mused. Stram didn't look bothered however. They continued their trek across the snowfield.

"So what's your name?" she asked. He gazed upwards as he considered her question.

"I go by the name of Ray," he answered. Stram nodded.

"So Ray, let's talk. What are you out here for? Especially in that outfit. You must be freezing," whispered Stram, her teeth chattering. Her flimsy vest ruffled with the cold wind.

"Aren't you cold too?" huffed Ray. He noticed that she didn't mind that he had avoided the question. Actually, he wouldn't mind knowing why the thief was out here. It was a strange place for an inexperienced theif to explore. Snowy El Nath was not a walk in the park. He spotted a lone stump in the snow and sat on it.

"Let me catch my breath. I'm not used to walking so much in deep snow." 'Because I usually teleported,' he thought. Stram squinted down at him.

"Tired already? How do you expect to help me in battle?"

"Yeah, yeah. We'll see when we get to that, okay?" Grumpy silence ensued.

"Stram... Are you growling at me?" asked Ray tentatively.

"I'm not," answered Stram puzzled.

The earth heaved up at Ray and tossed him forcefully into the snow. He stumbled a little in the deep snow before he shoved himself upright. The stump he had been sitting on was a monster. He must have awakened it with his body heat when he sat on it. Stram was already circling the Stump Beast warily. The stump shook itself, sending a flurry of ice at them. Ray spotted an obvious opening in Stram's defense; she was leaning to her right too much, and heavily relying on the dagger she held in her right hand.

'Such novice work, but never mind that,' thought Ray. 'If I can just concentrate on my magic, I can end this quickly.' With that thought, he whipped out his spellbook from his pack. He intensely hoped that the rush of battle would awaken his dormant powers. He needed it right now. If all else failed... No, he had to use his magic.

"What are you doing reading a book in the middle of danger?" shouted Stram in alarm. He ignored her in irritation and continued leafing through his spell book. It dawned on him that he wouldn't be able to channel his magic without his staff! The stump posed no real danger, but if he had been watching Stram's tactics, he would have seen that she wasn't the novice he had figured she was.

The monster rushed toward her left, preparing to dodge her from the right, when Stram stabbed forward with her left hand. She had quickly switched her stance so that her left side was easily maneuverable. The one-eyed stump had seen her change too late, and was split in two by a single punch. A quick eye would have seen a glint of solid metal in Stram's gloved hand.

Ray's mouth gaped slightly as Stram strode towards him with her improvised firewood, a bundle of broken Stump Beast, over her shoulder. Stram walked right by Ray along the path they had come from. Ray wondered if Stram was showing that she didn't need him, but he had seen no contempt, only a bit of anger. He saw Stram slow down as the snow shifted under his clumsy steps.

"Hey Stram, wait up!" he called running, partly climbing in the thick powder. He managed to catch up to her slowed pace. So he had underestimated her. He wouldn't have expected Stram to try to lure the monster into her range. Stram suddenly spoke in a tight voice.

"You didn't think I was worthy of attention a little while ago. Why are you following me now?" she asked. Ray didn't hesitate at this chance.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to be a total jerk or anything. I just thought you couldn't handle the monster by yourself," said Ray with the slightest hint of apology.

"Glad you put it bluntly," sniffed Stram. She turned around again. "Don't ignore me next time." Ray inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Wait a second, Stram." Ray dug into his pack and pulled out a red orb. It glowed dully but the enormous warmth it emanated stopped Stram in her tracks. Judging by the curiosity in her eyes, she didn't know what it was. Interestingly enough, most rogue with her level of strength would have had some experience or knowledge about this.

"It's called Eye of Fire. It's been keeping me warm, but I'm letting you have this one. I suppose we need to share our resources don't we," said Ray. "And I trust you not to be sly and theiving," he added as an afterthought.

'Not that she could steal if anyway,' Ray thought darkly. It was one of the few items he had left because items like these bound to your soul.

Stram's lips quirked up in a smirk. She looked like she was going to say something but she held back. The smirk remained however.

"Well let's keep going," she said as she drifted back to the tower. Ray was still curious.

"You've never seen an Eye of Fire before?" he asked. Ray saw Stram shake her head dismissively as if it didn't matter much. Ray suddenly realized that Stram had never explored the underwater world of Aqua either. Now that really perked his curiousity. And even Orbis, she hadn't know much about either.

"Have you ever been to Orbis?" he asked disinterestedly, or at least that's how he hoped he sounded.

"I landed at the city of the heavens when I rode the airship to get here," she said over her shoulder. "Or Orbis as you call it," said Stram testing the unfamiliar name. She was walking much furter ahead now. Ray was really having trouble keeping up in the snow. He was having a harder time keeping up with this new information. If he hadn't seen Stram's power with his own eyes, he would never have believed she could wield so much strength.

"Well you skill is amazing for someone who hasn't ever left Victoria," he called out breathlessly. Truthfully, it was more than amazing, it sounded almost impossible. What could have kept her at Victoria all this time? Stram turned towards Ray quizzically.

He continued," For example, how you lured the stump to you and knocked it to pieces with one blow." Stram started in surprise, which rang an alarm in Ray's head. He hadn't been aware that he had said anything strange.

"I lured the stump? How?" she asked tentatively. Ray's mouth dropped open. He dropped all pretenses of being uninterested in Stram.

"Did you know that you were wide open to your left?" he asked, his voice a pitch higher than usual.

"I was? Sorry, I don't have experience with a dagger," she said with a tinge of embarrassment in her cheeks. Ray's eyes glazed over a bit, and he shook his head to clear it. One more question and that would be it.

"Are you some sort of prodigy?" he asked. Stram looked a bit disturbed at that question.

"No, not at all," she answered. They had stopped moving altogether.

"That makes complete sense," he declared, his voice rising in volume His whole day has been unreal since the second he had woken up in that abandoned cabin with...nothing. Stram stopped to look back at Ray. The triumphant glow had left her, and she was staring at Ray.

"When I wake up, the world will be back to normal," he muttered.

"Ray;" started Stram. Ray ignored her and started stomping forward to the tower in a daze. Stram shrugged and decided to follow him inside the tower.

She worked to get the fire going, but by the time the blaze was lit, Ray had already curled up in his makeshift sleeping bag. His pack unfolded into a sleeping bag, which left his inventory wide open. Wide open for a thief anyway. Stram peeked into his inventory sadly. He didn't have many items. He was as vulnerable as he looked. She touched his shoulder gently to see if he was awake. Ray's head slowly turned, glowering at Stram, so that Stram could only see a pair of darkened eyes. Stram stiffened but glared back.

"What is going on Ray?" she whispered urgently. Ray didn't answer but his eyes softened until his expression was unrecognizable.

"Don't touch me or my inventory," he croaked tiredly. He shrugged her hand off, and turned away from Stram. Stram drew back until she was out of striking distance.

"I didn't agree to anything, but I'll let you sleep grumpy head," she protested harmlessly. She edged around the fire and crept into her own sleeping bag. She was excited for tomorrow, assuming she survived until tomorrow morning. She couldn't help being unreasonably paranoid. Night passed smoothly.