[NoR] - [12] - Elven Greetings

The wind whipped through the reeds, rustling the robes about the two Planeswalkers as they stood idly, soaking in their surroundings. The sleeveless masochist looked to his companion, noting the odd fogging of his breath in the warm air. Sudaj voiced his curiosity.

“So how do you keep so...well, so cool?”

The response was bored at best, as this was something Razel thought should have been obvious.

“Side effect of being myself. My constituent is Rime. I’m literally made of ice.”

“But...wait. How do you...I, mean, you have hair, and...”

Razel sighed in frustration. Now and then he would forget that others did not have the privilege of lifetime upon lifetime of study and training.

“Look. Your body, whether you realize it or not, is manifested entirely by your will. As a Planeswalker, you don’t have a physical form. Only a representation of what your consciousness believes you should look like. In my case, the mana which coalesces to shape my solid self is icy and chilled, a direct representation of my persona. Yours is...whatever yours is. That’s one of the reasons we’re so hard to kill. We’re literally nothing but a residual self-image. Only magical items can permanently affect us.”

Sudaj looked confused, ignoring the conversation and looking about himself again.

“Well anyway. We’re here, wherever M’laer is. This is the place mentioned by that...thing.”

The image of the foul creature flickered within their minds, blackened oil seeping in memoriam as they recalled its hideous shape. The parchment grasped tightly within its claws was blurred, save the portions Sudaj could decipher at the time. A rough planar map, as all of them inevitably were, was scribbled across the page, with a set of directions clear only to those versed in interplanar travel. Conspicuous to those who would know, otherwise simply a mystery.

Razel shifted his outfit, standing nearly nude in only a simple skirt. Sudaj followed suit, unsure of the reason but certain there was one. The trees at the edge of the vast clearing were tall and ridged, belying a tropical climate. Local fauna cried out in their daily course, oblivious to the two alien entities.

“So...why are we in skirts?”

“Because it’s a simple outfit that can be found most anywhere. We want to be as inconspicuous as possible, remember? Have you ever had a mob try to run you out of a town, not realizing you could leave whenever you wanted?”

“Well, once or twice, but I’m usually able to hold them off.”

“No sense of subtlety.”

Razel sighed heavily once more before continuing.

“Look. Being a Planeswalker is dangerous business. Just because you wield grand cosmic power doesn’t mean there aren’t those who can either stop you or kill you, and it certainly means there are those who want to do both.”

Sudaj shrugged apathetically.

“I guess. You’re in charge, man.”

Razel looked at him quizzically.

“I thought this was your quest?”

Sudaj seemed slightly agitated by being thrust back into the lead, as if he were more comfortable as a subordinate.

“Uh...right. Well, the thing was known to sneak around and abduct random people. I suppose we should try and find a similar situation here to start.”

The rime mage nodded in affirmation.

“Not a terrible idea. Find a civilization, listen in for rumors of similar occurrences, and then investigate. See? I knew you had it in you.”

“Of course I did...”

Rokh was unnervingly cheery about the whole affair. He proceeded to take me to a training room lined with racks upon racks of various curiosities, while the orrery in the middle of the room whirred quietly. Inevitably, I asked the most obvious of my questions.

“So what is it you do, exactly?”

His smile is something I never got used to. He had a flair for explanation, and seemed to take great pride in his work.

“Well, I’m sure I’ve beaten the whole ‘liability’ thing into your head by now. Should anyone leave our Academy without permission, we must take care of them by either bringing them back or removing them from the equation.”

I considered speaking up, however, he quickly changed the subject.

“Do you remember when you asked me how we can track interdimensional travel?”

The conversation was one I often considered in my free time. I believe I simply nodded.

“Well, the reason I know is because I happen to be one of the faculty here that actually does the tracking. Matter of fact, I’ve spoken to my superiors and they have agreed to let me train you as one of our hunters as well.”

The prospect of learning to hunt my own kind was appealing in a sadistic way. It had practical application, to be sure.

“Does this mean I’ll be taught how to ‘walk?”

His vigorous nodding implied a giddiness that I was uncomfortable seeing in someone who had effectively admitted to casual homicide.

“Absolutely. Kind of hard to planeswalk without knowing exactly how. Now, this particular training area is set up with something built to keep you from leaving.”

More of his uncomfortable phrasing. He gestured to the metal device in the middle of the room. I began to feel a subtle tugging within myself the longer I looked at it.

“What is it?”

“We call it a ‘Planar Well’. Think of it like an extradimensional whirlpool. Any Planeswalking activity within a certain radius of it will be drawn to a point of our choosing. The range varies based on how much power we feed into it, but this one is relatively weak. We keep it in this particular room to ensure none of our trainees get ‘lost’, so to speak.”

A dim light lit within my mind.

“Is that how I came to be in the Academy in the first place?”

He had tapped the side of his molten head with two fingers, grinning at me as he complimented my cleverness.

“You catch on faster than most. You’re absolutely right. We have a series of considerably large wells stationed about the multiverse designed to catch wayward Planeswalkers that have just ignited. This way we can be sure to find them before too much damage is done.”

“So why don’t we just set up one giant one for the whole of the Academy?”

“You know how the doors aren’t physically connected? The Academy itself isn’t one specific place, but rather, a countless series of demiplanes spread across the Multiverse. There’s no singular ‘Academy’. The power requirements necessary to keep a series of Wells up and running across the whole of our establishment are ludicrous to even consider. Aside from that, there’s the possibility of marauding Eldrazi.”

I remembered the conversation we had had, and the contempt in his voice was practically tangible.

“Those Eldritch things? You mean they notice them?”

“Precisely. It amounts to a Beacon for them. We’ve only had it happen once or twice, but from time to time they’ll get pulled into one. We had to designate special teams to deal with them, even though we’ve only ever had to eliminate broodlings. Even I’m not certain we could fend off a Titan, should one find their way here.”

I felt changing the subject was wise.

“What about Non-Academy ‘Walkers?”

“We make them the same offer we make to all the newcomers. They’re just more likely to decline. The good thing is that if they try to leave, they’re already within range of a Well.”

Good thing, he said.

Sudaj wiped sweat from his brow, having completely forgotten Razel’s lecture on self-image. The trees swayed high above them as the roots tangled about their feet. Creatures cried out further on, while the soft burble of a nearby stream covered the pair’s already quiet steps. Razel looked aloof, casually strolling with no preference for direction. A faint presence caught Sudaj’s attention, spurring him to speak as he looked around worriedly.

“I think we’re being followed.”

Razel continued on his way, not looking back or even appearing fazed in the slightest. He seemed to ignore his friend as he spoke.

“They’ve been on our trail for a while now, but they’re edging closer. Don’t let them know we are aware of them, otherwise they might-”

The whistle interrupted him as an arrow buried itself within Razel’s shoulder, the unnatural force of the blow pinning him face-first to a nearby trunk. Razel began to scream things that were certainly of a profane nature, utilizing the lack of necessity for breath to belligerently voice his opinion.

“JUMALAUTA! KYRPA OTSASSA-”

Sudaj backed against the same tree the rime mage was loudly attempting to remove himself from, noting the several masked hunters that emerged from the branches above to drop lightly to the ground before them. Razel found himself fuming as the pain that shouldn’t be there overwhelmed him.

“-VAI A CAGARE-”

The trackers circled the duo, making certain there was no chance of them escaping by any conventional means.

“Uh...Roz...”

“-VERPUS! WHAT?!”

Razel struggled against the arrow, frustration building as he attempted to slide off it and was somehow incapable. The masks were of a design that was simple, yet menacing. As they drew closer, one of them nocked another arrow, letting it fly into Razel’s other shoulder to pin it to the trunk as well. His protests returned, slightly louder this time.

“KRIJG DE ZIETKE-”

The string of insults kept flowing as the leader of the group stepped forward. His bright red mask was lined with a variety of bones, some resembling teeth while others served a mysterious but doubtlessly dangerous function. He stood before Sudaj calmly, listening to the rantings of the captive ‘walker before removing his mask to reveal a fair elven face, the points of his ears swept back to cradle his braids. His expression was serious, yet slightly amused. The rest of the party prepared their arrows, directing them at the masochist in defense as the head elf spoke.

“Tell him to be silent.”

Razel tried vainly to turn his head to face the newcomer.

“-PESTKOP! YOU JUST SHOT ME TWICE WITH MAGIC DAMNED ARROWS AND YOU WANT ME TO BE SILENT?! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH THAT STINGS?!”

He breathed heavily, but refrained from continuing in the hope that cooperation would get him released faster. The leader again spoke to Sudaj.

“You noticed us before your friend here. You are clearly the more aware of the two. You are not from around here. Am I mistaken?”

Sudaj hurriedly nodded in affirmation, not wanting to discover firsthand the reason behind Razel’s pain.

“Good. We will not kill you if you agree to help us.”

Sudaj simply kept nodding. The leader motioned to Razel, prompting two of his tribesmen to pluck the arrows from his shoulders. He spun to face his aggressors, the wounds freezing over as they healed. The leader cocked an eyebrow in interest at the sight.

“You certainly aren’t from around here. Maybe it won’t succeed this time.”

Razel slowed his superficial breathing as he narrowed his eyes, responding irritably.

“What won’t?”

“The beast that has been abducting members of our tribe.”

”The first thing you want to remember about planeswalking is that it is a part of you. You aren’t really going anywhere in the classical sense. You’re almost going nowhere.”

I contemplated his words. The sensation I had felt before I wound up at the Academy was foggy, although I could easily recall feeling pressed on all sides.

“First thing I want you to try is not going to a specific plane, but just slipping into the Eternities. You know of the Eternities, yes?”

Obviously I did. The space between spaces, the realms of madness, endless names for the place where there were no places. If each plane were a bubble in a frothing soup, the eternities would be the stock between them.

“You know that I do. We’ve been in classes covering them.”

“Just making sure. Now, reach within yourself and try to simply ‘go’. Anywhere. It doesn’t matter where you end up, since the well will bring you back. Let me show you. Try to watch my aura, see if you can get a feel for it.”

In a series of what I’m sure were unnecessary actions, he raised his arms and crossed them, closing his eyes and holding his ‘breath’. Without warning he disappeared, reappearing in a spark of sulfurous flame on the other side of the room.

“I’ve done that. Stepping from one point to another is easy. All you did was teleport.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“You’ve done it? Well, first off, what do you think planeswalking is? You simply teleport along a path that takes you OUTSIDE the realm instead of through it. Second, I don’t believe you. Prove me wrong.”

I took his challenge at face value. Looking within myself, I sought to go from where I was to anywhere but. As I took my first step, I saw Rokh take a step to the side in precaution before the overwhelming weight of existence threatened to crush me. The draw of the well immediately forced me back to the training room, wherein I now found myself where Rokh had stood not moments before.

“Well...wow. I certainly didn’t expect that. Congrats, Roz. You’re the first to get it on your first try. You just took a step towards being an elite among equals.”