It's Iceland; or the Philippines; or Hastings; or -
Or this place!
One Night in Bangkok - Murray Head
All of a sudden, I am awakened by boisterous yells, imbuing the air about me with a sense of anguish and terror. My eyes flash open, and I try to roll out of bed, getting caught on the sheets once before coming about and grasping at my blade, arrayed neatly upon the small bedside table. As my weapon flashes out of its scabbard, it is immediately lowered as I gaze upon the scene before me, struck dumb by its insanity.
The source of the yelling is Zack, and the cause is that Forest is plastered upon his face.
Involuntarily mustering more incredulity than I thought I possessed, I utter a simple question.
"What is going on?"
Zack doesn't answer, perhaps preoccupied with the slime blob formerly affixed to his face. He leaps off the bed and shouts incomprehensibly at Forest, who scurries underneath the pillow. My face twists into a combination of concern and confusion.
"I think you scared him."
In Zack's continued, boiling rage, he fails to notice that I am speaking to him.
"No, you don't. Get out of there!"
He snatches the pillow to reveal Forest contentedly glomping his dischargers. The pango's eyes are slitted shut and he wears a kind of grin.
Zack's pupils shrink in horror as he looks upon Forest.
"Don't even think about it!"
Zack scoops up his dischargers and forcefully gives them a shake. Forest's eyes snap open as he wobbles precariously in the air, clinging to the weapons for dear life.
"Poi!"
Zack doesn't cease his shaking, and somehow the pango seems to be hanging on.
"P-poi!"
His small body jiggles up and down until he falls to the floor with a gelatinous smack. There is an angry glint in Forest's eyes as he glares daggers at Zack, who is too busy inspecting his dischargers to notice.
There is a sharp knock at the door. Barely comprehending what is going on despite being certain that rational explanations must exist, I shuffle to the door and open it a crack. Leanna peeks through the doorway.
"I heard yelling. Is everything o-"
She cuts off mid-sentence as her sense of sight catches up with the world her eyes present. They grow wide as she, much like myself, begins to wrestle with the baffling sights.
I look behind me and see Zack dangling his dischargers high in the air while the seemingly prescient pango leaps up to reach them.
"These aren't for you to absorb!"
"POI!"
Oh. Well, that makes some sense. I look towards Leanna with my first totally straight expression in what feels like hours.
"There is nothing you can do to help. There is nothing anyone can do to help. We are doomed. Feel free to escape while you still can."
Leanna nods, her mouth still agape.
"Yeah… I'll just wait for you two downstairs…"
The door closes quietly, as if Leanna was worried about this predicament becoming aware of her presence. I wouldn't be too worried, myself. It still hasn't noticed me.
Trying (and failing) to ignore the rising cataclysm taking place in the room, and occasionally moving out of its way, I get dressed.
After much yelling and no small amount of aggressive cuddles, I manage to coax Forest away from his impromptu breakfast, and the three of us emerge from the room. Forest takes his usual role of excusing my messy hair, even though today it isn't so much an excuse as the truth. Zack's dischargers are back in their holsters, as he finally feels safe enough to put them there.
We head downstairs and meet Leanna, waiting patiently at one of the tables. As we approach, I notice Forest beginning to lean in the direction of Zack.
"poooi..."
I shove him back into place.
"Noooo. We don't eat our ally's energy."
I can feel Zack's baleful stare creep up my spine. Perhaps there is a way to prevent this?
"Hey, Leanna, how long could a pango survive on a cheap crystal?"
She ponders the question for a moment.
"A small, low grade crystal could last a few weeks at the outside. Are you saying we should get one for him?"
"After this morning's fiasco, I think that it would be a good idea to have some way to coax him away from things we don't want him eating. Say he starts eyeing your manipulator tomorrow."
She laughs.
"He'll be fine. Even if you weren't around to help, there's enough residue in the atmosphere for him to survive in a pinch. Add that to me being a mage… let's just say he won't be going hungry."
I nod in understanding.
"I think I understand how he fits into a planetary ecosystem now."
Leanna makes a gesture, and two bowls which I assume she had already requested are brought out. Zack and I scarf down our food. When we are done, she addresses us.
"Is everyone ready?"
"As we can be."
"Yeah, as long as that thing doesn't come near my dischargers again."
"Poi, poi."
I can feel the imbalance caused by Forest sticking out his tongue. Fortunately, Leanna interrupts the slowly escalating series of events.
"Alright, then! Let's strike the road."
I frown.
"Isn't that 'hit'?"
Leanna doesn't miss a beat.
"Sometimes it is. Come on."
With one final nod, she leads the way out of the inn and back into town, with me reminding myself that Terran idioms probably shouldn't be the same as Earth's.
Most of the journey to Illumia is uneventful, with Forest sleeping on my head a considerable portion of the time. As we enter the late morning, however, he seems to perk up, looking about with eagerness. Leanna gazes upon the little guy and smiles.
"I forgot. You'd know where we're going."
I raise an eyebrow.
"And where are we going? Besides Illumia."
Her smile turns to me.
"Look around."
My eyes flicker across the landscape, recording a rolling grassy plain not dissimilar to Meadowhill-
Anomaly. Anomaly. What is that?
I rush off the path to go confirm that I saw anything at all. As I approach, I note many small mineral outcroppings, some of which glitter with ores. As I dash, I can almost feel the ground shift beneath my feet. Finally, I reach it.
The monolith glitters with metallic elements, as though it were polished. It twists in and out of itself, the object like a stillframe of a splash of water. About the plains, I see many divots in the landscape, perhaps indications that other such objects once rested there.
I run my hand across the surface of the anomalous outcropping before me. It bites with a rough friction spaced with smooth, shaped metal.
I turn about at the sound of footsteps behind me. Leanna is calmly walking up to the chunk.
"My reaction when I first came to Illumia was similar, after I got over the shock of getting grabbed off a horse by a large metal object."
I would probably be more skeptical if I hadn't already gotten used to blue blobs that eat transient universal energy, but Leanna's sudden remark terrifies me into action, and I leap backwards, startled.
"These things grab people? Is this metal thing a predator?"
She giggles.
"Yes, and no. You asked where we were going. We're in the Shaping Lands. Magic constantly distorts the ground, and brings semi-fluid metal ores to the surface."
I look at her.
"So, that wasn't about to grab me?"
"It hasn't been extracted yet, so it probably appeared recently. The odds of it grabbing you are low."
That's… only somewhat reassuring. Forest seems to disagree with my placement, and leaps atop the object, no doubt soaking up residual magic.
A male voice calls from a fair distance.
"Can we get a move on? I've waited for his antics long enough already."
I assume it is Zack.
With a flicker of wind, Leanna scoops up Forest, placing him back on my head. Then, she motions in the direction of the voice.
"Come on. If we're in the Shaping Lands, we aren't far from Illumia."
"Wait Illumia is in this place?" I ask as we start walking.
"Yes. The easy access to metal ores and nearby river were extremely attractive to early pre-magic settlers. In the Thaumic Era… we have to be careful not to let any fluctuations reach the city. But the Shaping Lands still do have their perks. You'll see when we reach Illumia."
As we return to the path at an angle, Leanna and I still need to jog for a few seconds to catch up to Zack. As we do, I point to a small, royal blue rock.
"What about that?"
Leanna regards the crystal.
"The Shaping Lands get their properties from being above a large water magic tap. That is one of the formed crystals."
I raise an eyebrow.
"Water? Why not earth?"
"An age old question. One which neither of us have the skill to answer."
"Ah."
"So, who will I have to pester to have this burning curiosity satiated?"
"I don't know, but you can try to find out."
She sweeps her hand forwards.
"Illumia is a great place to go looking for answers."
What. What.
Those buildings are peeking over the horizon. A few of them are floating. I wasn't expecting stone structures to allow for a skyline, but the tallest are probably ten to twenty stories. Those look to be based upon a stone superstructure and metal skeleton, with design choices reminiscent of Earth's skyscrapers, and they glow with power. From here, I can guess the functions of various attendant structures. Royal blue crystals dot the perimeter wall, possibly shaping the water magic that makes the Shaping Lands away from things humans don't want shaped. Sparkling green light flows from the tops of the structures, imbuing them with structural integrity far beyond the normal constraints of such materials, and cyan clusters loft segments with eldritch winds.
It's so… anachronistic. Havengardi architecture, from what I've seen, bears similarities to many periods of Earth's history, ranging from classical Greece and Rome, to the High Middle Ages, all the way up to Victorian Era Europe. Seeing the sweeping lines and stout buttresses of ancient history on what is clearly a local equivalent to high-rise architecture is so… so odd.
"Is Havengardi the right adjective?"
Leanna looks over at me.
"I'm not sure. I've heard that, Havengardean, and even contractions like Gardean or Haven. Really, as long as it doesn't sound stupid you should be fine."
"And what would be defined as stupid?"
Leanna thinks for a moment, but Zack answers.
"Vengartati."
I blink.
"What?"
"Vengartati is an example of stupid. Years after I heard it, I realized that it was not a mental spasm."
I raise an eyebrow.
"You cannot possibly mean that someone actually used that in conversation while expecting the other person to know what is going on."
He just stares straight ahead.
"Really? That's ridiculous!"
That word doesn't make sense in the english lan-
Common, sorry.
Common! How does someone mess up conjugating an adjective so badly that it doesn't fit into Common?
"Someone said it," he says simply, "and now I can't forget it."
"I don't understand people. What could his train of thought have been?"
Zack simply shrugs.
As we move towards the city, I can feel parts of me grow lighter or heavier as eddies of shaping magic reach through my body. Some are small, fingerlike tendrils that tickle an ear, others are broad and sweeping, letting you feel the ground shift beneath you as it passes. The land is unstable, but it doesn't feel unsafe.
A thought strikes me, and I try to open my senses, thinking that touch and self-sense will help me track the pulses. Once I begin to pay attention, I notice it. Each time a surge occurs, there is a gradual lead-up from the correct direction. If my finger is about to pull a lot, it will start by pulling a little, for example. Perhaps this can be utilized?
…
There. I can feel the world around me warming up. Extant and powerful, coming from below and to the right. I brace myself, and jump as I feel myself begin to get lighter.
My path through the air curves slightly as the magic scoops me into the air, only for gravity to again arrest my momentum and return me to the ground, chastising me for insubordination.
I laugh. I may not have landed on my feet, but that was fun.
As I pick myself up and dust myself off, I notice Leanna struggling to hold back laughter.
"What?"
Leanna points upwards, at…
Ah.
Forest is going on an adventure.
"I wonder how the view is from up there."
Continuing to observe the little guy's antics as reality around him convulses, I find myself struggling not to giggle. After all, he doesn't seem the least bit concerned, despite the fact that I cannot properly describe the area he is occupying. Some people I know at Triumph might want to try, but not me.
Forest's gelatinous form is smeared across one of the internal surfaces of the ...space. However, at the same time, he behaves as though nothing is wrong. He… (probably) bounces in happiness, drinking in the surrounding magic, and I hear a warbling sound not too dissimilar from his characteristic 'poi'.
I look over at Leanna.
"Is this normal?"
She nods.
"In the Shaping Lands, you can expect a few of these daily."
"So, what do we do now?"
"Wait for it to collapse. It should only be a few seconds."
True to her words, the world spasmed again within the minute, and the chaotic mass returned to a simpler shape before falling to the ground. Forest pokes his head out of the resultant pile of dirt and beams.
"Poi!"
"Come on, Forest," I call out as we walk by him, "we can reach the city by noon if we move quickly."
With the world about us putting a (figurative) spring in my step, we do reach Illumia by midday. Unused grasslands bleed into small family farms, which grow more and more concentrated, with the occasional more impressive building, until the farms give way to well-kept roads and buildings, reminding me of Meadowhill. And then we pass through the gates, and the wood and thatch give way to well-carved stone and metals. A variety of materials and philosophies are on display, giving the impression that Havengarde is experiencing a time of cultural and artistic exploration.
Some styles have similarities to reconstructions of prewar Earth architecture. The fine stone and copper of 18th century Britain is on display in both its forms, with some larger buildings showing the gleam of perfectly polished bronze. The fantastical architecture found in late German castles is here as well, and several styles I don't recognize. I'm willing to bet that any of them could have counterparts on Earth, but the sweeping patterns of some attest to the presence of magic in the design process, or the presence of different quantities of metals.
The centre of the city is dominated by a large cathedral-like structure, which appears to have the backbone of a more 'modern' style so it might touch the skies. No structures stand close to it that I can see, save for a large clock tower that might be a part of it. A central park area, perhaps?
The noise of humanity fills the streets, chatter and footsteps against the neat flagstone echoing in equal parts, and with them the noise of construction. Several animal-powered cranes raise stone into the air, while-
Did that panel just heat and bend of its own accord?
My eyes dart about until I find the source. A red-cloaked figure stands wearing a hard hat, his manipulator aglow. As I watch, his hands twist in concentration, and other workers nearby move in to work the steel into shape, as it fuses into the panel below.
Imagine what home could do with that. I wonder.
As we move through the streets, Zack turns towards a side path.
"This is me."
I look down the dark alcove, straining my eyes to see.
"It's a shortcut where I need to be."
Leanna nods.
"Safe travels. Perhaps our paths will cross again."
"Good luck at the Mage Academy."
He heads down the alleyway. As he is about to fade from sight, I see another come to greet him. They clasp hands from below, then release, and head down the path.
"I wonder if we'll see him again." I think aloud. "He could be a useful ally in the right circumstances."
Leanna shrugs.
"I wouldn't count on it, but mercenaries do have a way of just popping up. Let's keep moving. The Mage Academy is straight ahead, closer to the centre of town."
A significant amount of residue lies ahead. I would advise caution.
Why?
Magic in that form is very dangerous. I will alert you to any problems, and keep the pango close.
I pat my head, checking whether Forest is still there. The light jiggle informs me that he is.
"That would be the large building there, right?"
I point towards the cathedral-esque structure I noticed earlier. She nods.
"So, you're telling me that you studied there."
"Yes."
"In the awesome castle thing."
She gives me a look.
"Yes?"
"Well, if it is as cool close up as it looks from here, I can see how you got to be as good as you are."
She notices my look of wonder.
"What's your academy like?"
"Lots more metal and glass. It has buildings for every subject you could name, and for hundreds specific to Earth. It contains more than half of the aspiring students in Vancouver, so it sometimes feels crowded, and like practically everywhere, there's very little green. Still, if you look, there's always something to do."
She thinks for a second.
"That sounds like it's bigger and more impressive than the Academy. Why…" she trails off. I pick up what I think the question was.
"Would I think this is impressive? Remind me, how did you react when I told you that Earth had no Thaumic Era, and yet held an organized and advanced society?"
She blinks.
"Surprised, and impressed."
"Same idea. Lacking modern composites and techniques, stone structures should not be this tall, and yet they are."
I gaze back up at the looming cathedral.
"And they look much better than buildings that tall have any right, in my opinion."
She looks up at the towers.
"Only those with true talent are accepted into the Mage Academy. I learned everything I know about casting beyond the basics from my mentor here. Hopefully, he'll be here today."
We begin to walk through the expansive streets and plazas of Illumia. Everywhere I look, I see statues of heroes and scholars. Fountains burble and banners flow in the breeze, some bearing symbols reminiscent of medieval heraldry and others the simple design of a sword before a shining sun, which I guess to be the flag of the Kingdom of Havengarde.
Once we arrive at the academy, Leanna pushes open the wrought iron gates and leads me across the quad. It appears that this is the central park area.
The campus reminds me of the natural gardens back home. While the life present would absolutely have thrived together in the wild (assuming it was pre-war), the area's careful maintenance creates a very different sensation. It all feels curated, but alive, unlike those gardens, and strikes an odd balance between the natural and the artificial.
Students pass by in flocks, chatting animatedly. Each of them wear nearly identical cloaks, differing only in colour and a few occasional accessories. As one in a bright white cloak skips by, Leanna glances at the student and smiles.
"Do you know him?" I ask, wondering why that person in particular would draw her attention.
"No," she responds, "but we're in the same house!"
"May I ask what that means?"
"First, his cloak tells you that he's learning wind magic. The brooch that holds the cloak together is on his right, which traditionally was to provide less obstruction to the operative arm, but now marks him as an aspiring Mage Knight."
"I think I see that. Your sword is on your right, gauntlet on your left. They go in opposite hands."
"Yes. Finally, the design on the brooch places him in Ylsmara house, the same as mine."
She produces a small metal item from her pocket. Its design is similar to that of the student's, showing an animal that I don't recognize.
"I see. Which house?"
"Ylsmara."
"Okay good, I heard you right. I don't know what that is."
"Oh! It's like a big bird of prey, with light blue feathers."
"Are they common?"
"Not really, but they are found in the area around Illumia."
I look about the grounds, and notice a trend. Aside from older folk I assume to be professors, I see only four distinct styles of dress on display: those cloaks in either white, red, blue, or green.
My eyes narrow. I was a bit suspicious before, knowing about wind magic, but seeing only four types of dress in an environment that associates colour with type of magic has a way of directing one towards a particular way of thinking.
I'm willing to bet Terra is operating within an elemental magic system, and the presence of wind suggests that they are classical elements.
"I think I'll be able to tell you which colour represents what."
Leanna looks over at me, curious.
"Wind is white, of course."
She nods.
"Red would be fire, blue - water, and that leaves green with earth."
She grins.
"That's right."
Then, she raises an eyebrow.
"I thought you said Earth didn't have magic."
"We don't, but tales of magic are quite common. Systems like the one found here are common among them. It is interesting to encounter something like that in reality, though. Why those? None are fundamental aspects of reality."
She shrugs.
"That is outside my knowledge. I've heard that some professors are doing investigations into the nature of magic, but they can't have made too much progress."
"You haven't looked into it?"
"There isn't much to look into. For anyone that hasn't studied years on that subject, the best answer you have is 'that's just the way it is'."
"Well, that's disappointing."
Leanna shrugs again.
We walk past an enclosed field. A young man sporting a green cloak holds a book in one hand, and with his other aims his manipulator straight ahead of himself. As we get closer, I can see his mouth pressed in concentration. Beads of sweat trickle down his forehead.
After a short while, he closes his fist and drags upwards. The ground rumbles beneath him and dirt spikes shoot out of the ground!
I leap back in surprise.
"Come on!" Leanna says, as I only now realize that my pace was slowing to watch.
She pulls on my arm, reverting my attention back to the task at hand. We soon enter the east wing of the building, which quickly opens into a grandiose foyer. A scattering of students wander the halls, with most accompanied by an older fellow wearing long black robes. In all likelihood, they are professors.
The area is lit by large stained-glass windows, depicting still images more vivid than I could've imagined. Rather than being joined by metallic or ceramic binding agents like those back home, these windows are comprised entirely of glass, and the sunlight sparkles through them, forming exquisite patterns upon the floor. One of the largest silicate paintings depicts a warrior brandishing a sword wreathed in light, supported by a mage for each type of magic, including what looks to be shadow. Across from them the window is so purple as to be almost opaque, but if I strain my eyes it almost looks as if a human figure stands there. As I watch, the sun catches in the window in just the right way, and a sickly crimson point burns in the centre of that fog.
Leanna scans each professor we pass, as if looking for someone in particular. She leads me up a winding staircase, then grins when she spots an older man with greying hair. His robes are pleated with white stripes and he carries an ornate staff in one hand, topped by a cyan crystal. Leanna walks up to him and raises her left hand in a crisp salute, her open, gauntleted palm facing towards him. With her right, she reaches out into the central space between them.
"Professor Oran."
He turns at the sound of his name, quickly releasing the staff to stand on its own before mirroring Leanna's gesture. The two clasp hands for a beat before hands drop and postures relax, with the professor breaking into a grin.
"Leanna! What a pleasant surprise. I was wondering when I would hear back from my star pupil."
She smiles bashfully at the compliment.
"It's great to see you again."
"Well, what brings you back so early?"
"I'm sure you've already heard about my case."
"You were studying concentrations of wild magic energy in normally inactive regions."
She nods.
"Well, I've found someone who was directly affected."
She gestures to me. Technically she could also be pointing to my living hat, but-
Forest is on my head in a populated area. Isn't that bad?
I stand as straight as possible as the professor analyses me, much as I might analyse a piece of xenotechnology. I feel as though his curiosity fills the room, as a man who has honed his craft for decades turns his attention to an anomaly in his midst.
His gaze returns to Leanna.
"In what sense was he 'affected'?"
"I was following a lead on energy levels in Meadowhill. Most of the time the area is constant, only a few dozen Thaums, and that's from the non-crystal forming tap in the area. Recently, amateur mages had reported levels in the hundreds, so I traced readings until I found an epicentre. On my second day of investigating the surrounding area, there was a flash on my readings, then energy levels collapsed, until-"
She gestured at me again.
"I ran into him. What was around him couldn't nearly account for everything, but after I realized that he had no equipment that could generate a surge, much less one that large, he had to be related to the event."
Professor Oran raises a skeptical eyebrow.
"Leanna, wild magic surges like this have an extensive body of data surrounding them. The energy involved is extremely deadly, especially at the moment of collapse. Are you sure you aren't mistaken?"
"My manipulator read the energy levels several times, and the data was corroborated by both my Mage Sight and the presence of a Pango."
"Hmm."
Leanna seems to brighten for a moment.
"Perhaps we could use the academy's equipment to scan him again?"
"Yes, let's do that."
He motions for us to follow him, then turns down the nearest hallway.
I turn to Leanna.
"So, when you couldn't figure out a handshake…"
She looks at me confused.
"A… what?"
"The thing that you couldn't figure out when we met."
She blinks, and then it dawns on her.
Unintentional puns. I cannot believe you.
Shut up.
"Yeah. It almost looked like you were trying to do a Royal salute, but a lot was missing."
"Okay, great."
A/N: I've been searching for a good place to reference One Night in Bangkok for a long time. It is truly fortunate that I wrote this, it gave me an excuse to link a chess movie soundtrack to you all.
You heard me right, shut up.
Additional Fun Fact; this chapter was named after the devil. The Bearer of Light is just... such a cool title. Makes you wonder why YHWH wasted all his creativity on the ONE ANGEL that would betray him. Like naming your son Horus Lupercal...
...
...what?
...
What does Judeo-Christian references have to do with any- ooooohh.