The pale-skinned, slender Ilchymis stood out easily among the darker-complected, stockily-built citizens of Nasrad, who all stared curiously as he made his way through the bustling city. The mage was more distinguishable than most by the flowing emerald-trimmed robes he wore, and although he was not possessed of blonde hair or blue eyes it was likely the populace guessed his Valuan heritage. This knowledge only added to Ilchymis's discomfort, and he moved along the avenue with his eyes on the stone underfoot.
Recollection, the Valuan merchant ship he had snuck onto in order to escape the Imperial City, had docked two days later in the City of Golden Dunes. When certain the crew had dispersed Ilchymis had set off, though for what he was uncertain. The final request of the dying Silvite still lingered fresh in his mind, and as he had not yet been swayed from his current course he was still compelled to seek the six Moon Crystals.
He had only ever read about the rest of Arcadia, having never left the Imperial City in thirty-two years of life, and how amazing this first new place seemed! The sky beyond Valuan Airspace was indeed blue, flecked with occasional white as all his textbooks had promised; it was dreadfully hot in Nasrad, but Ilchymis barely noticed as he wandered down the avenue. Merchants lined Nasrad's central street, loudly advertising their wares to the public; sunlight bathed everything in warmth and cheer, and voices rang out in salutation from all directions.
As a scholar, Ilchymis was well-versed in all Arcadian languages, something he realized with relief as he continued on his way. He had studied the Nasrean dialect in detail, and was pleased to discover that the coarse, almost harsh sounds made perfect sense to him. Once he bumped into a town soldier, and an apology spouted fluently from his lips; this was acknowledged with a small bow of acceptance.
Despite the mildly suspicious looks he endured all down the street, it only took an hour to secure a small skiff he could borrow for his search for the Temple of Pyrynn, the place where he would find the Red Moon Crystal. When his business was finished he retired to the inn to rest; sensing they were alone the ring adorning Ilchymis's index finger morphed into the small Silvite pet Cupil.
Ilchymis smiled softly at the mystical creature as it nuzzled his outstretched hand. He had discovered early on that his new companion only ate shards of Moon Stone, a rarity among living creatures but something he could manage easily. Some of his minor spells called for pieces of Moon Stone, so he was never at a loss for the miniscule Chams. Red and Yellow Moon Stones were abundant in the world, so he would certainly never run short of those, but partially out of curiosity he had fed Cupil the last of his green crystals shards. Not only had Cupil eaten it in earnest, his skin had changed from a lustrous silver to a handsome shade of pale jade, and Ilchymis suspected the curious Silvite creature had taken on the properties of a Green Moon Stone as well.
It wasn't quite dusk yet, but the mage felt himself tiring quickly from the days' activities; patting the mattress he invited Cupil to have a rest, and with a soft squeak it curled up near his feet and was asleep in seconds. Ilchymis breathed deeply once, twice, and closed his eyes.
The next day he replenished his stores, for he would need rations and helpful accessories to continue his search for the Temple of Pyrynn in the vast, uncharted deserts southwest of Nasrad. After making certain he had enough water to last him many days, Ilchymis picked his way through the masses of people and made for the docks.
Just as the ship parts dealer had promised, there, tethered at the end of the dock, was a small skiff of Nasrean make with the name Muse painted on its side. He smiled to himself; the name seemed somehow fitting.
He had never flown a ship on his own, but that hardly seemed a hindrance; undoing the enormous knot, Ilchymis leapt into the skiff and settled into the captain's chair on the tiny bridge, steering the vessel southwest to his as-yet-unseen destination.
Author's Note: We're starting to get into the actual quest now. Should be interesting to see where the polar opposites of Domingo and Lawrence drag me, and I can't wait for them to bump into Ilchymis. Pyrynn will never be the same...
Dizzy: Lawrence and Domingo work a lot better than I thought; I made Domingo sort of the potential dreamer, who refuses to give up because people tell him to. In contrast to Vyse, though, he is also older, more reckless, and rather isolated, which is why it's so strange to see him in league with someone else. Lawrence is more simple: he's dark, mysterious, sarcastic, and negative. Naturally these two will argue every step of the way.
Meowzy-chan: I'm so glad you like it! Lawrence and Domingo will certainly be an interesting pair to watch as the journey progresses. Alfonso, alas, won't be joining for quite some time, so bear with me.
The Right Hand of Fate: Writing Domingo drunk was more fun than it ought to have been. I'm notorious for torturing my characters in odd ways, LOL. And you're quite right--I would rather maneuver through the game with these guys than with the ones I killed off in Chapter One. As for the rest of your review...I've got warm fuzzies now, thank you darling.
Should start to heat up in the next chapter or two...stay tuned.