Chương 104: Fake Man

In a land filled with powerful mages seeking ever greater heights, settlements arise not just at a confluence of routes or at locations abundant with natural resources. They also grow to greatness thanks to the efforts of great mages and the mark they leave on history. For instance, Arcoryx City grew up around the far older Arcoryx Academy.

Supplying the needs of the academy eventually drew in more and more people to fulfil all sorts of roles, which led to a growing settlement taking root and expanding quickly, all thanks to the academy's need for as much self-dependence as possible. In another area, a mage exploring an ancient ruin led to the rise of a settlement lasting through the ages. For jealously protecting the ruins led to the mage conscripting a defensive force, and then creating a castle.

Supporting such an endeavour and its surroundings eventually led to the rise of another powerful city. In this way, Gildharbour came to be as well, standing strong as a growing port town, especially with the increasing prevalence of advanced Glyphtech. For it wasn't just fishing and maritime endeavours that helped the city grow. They also often hosted many magical phenomena that drew in mages from all over. The most recent of which is a terribly intriguing Living Mana Incursion.

The Magical Rise of Cities Elian V. Ryland was happy to see he had inspired the Excursion Club students. He hadn't told them that he was the one fighting against Archdrakes, but he suspected that many of them had surmised a great deal after they had seen him in action at the Manabreak mine. Or Academ Jules had told them about it. Maybe. He was the only one who had enquired directly.

None of the other students besides Viren and Acrypha had asked him what had happened, not even Alendra, nor had any of the skyship administration. The only exception was Academ Jules, who had basically mentioned that the incident at the Manabreak mine had made him think Ryland was involved. A good deduction. Whatever the case, as the skyship slowly descended, Ryland stood at one corner of the bridge and occasionally glanced at the students flinging their magic against one another.

More often, though, he was distracted by the view of Gildharbour growing larger and larger. Viren was right. There was nothing of the little fishing town he had grown up in. Frankly, Ryland couldn't even recognize the streets and alleys either. It had been a while since he had visited of course, so that didn't help. But neither did the tall towers and apartment blocks, or the far more advanced architectural style similar to that of Arcoryx City Gildharbour had adopted.

The only unchanged feature was the central golden towers that had given the location its name. A construction by an ancient Archmage that was supposed to mainly act as a beacon to guide those in the area towards their homes. Those from the nearby sea could see it from far away, as well as those in the mountains and, more recently, those who got lost in the grasp of the Living Mana Incursion mentioned by the pilot. A fine work that had lasted through ages.

Ryland remembered well how he had been inspired by those eternal towers, always making sure he caught how they glinted under the noonday sun. Even the port was different now. Gone were the wooden planks extending out into the sea from where anglers took their boats out among the waves. Now, there was an actual harbour holding over a dozen ships, each far larger than the majority of buildings that had sprung up all over Gildharbour.

Ryland marvelled a little at the schooners and barques with Inscribed engines at the rear, at the galleons with Inscribed sails, and even at the smaller dinghies with Inscribed paddles. Glyphtech really had advanced far.

"This is your home, is it?" Alendra asked when she joined him. She was sweating a little, having once again excelled in all the duels she had participated in. Ryland briefly wondered just where she had gotten such practice.

"Indeed," he said.

"I'm surprised you're aware."

"I overheard you talking about it. Forgot when, though."

"What about your home?"

"My home…" A complicated look flickered over her face.

"I'm not actually from Androvia, mind you. I'm originally from Vreten. My parents were entrepreneurs there." Vreten was one of the smaller nations on Vyrd. They were mostly maritime, enjoying long coastlines and several islands they protected almost jealously. An interesting coincidence that they had visited Gildharbour.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Ryland said, noting the past tense Alendra had used. Why were they all a parade of orphans here? Alendra shrugged.

"It's alright." She grinned at him, swiftly changing subject. He wondered if the loss was still painful to her, despite her attempt at nonchalance.

"I'm going to bet none of the locals will have any clue who you are, will they?"

"Hmm, it has been a while since I visited. I certainly won't be recognizing anyone."

"Well, just remember to take me along if you ever go visit your old house. I'd be very curious to see." Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Ryland smiled.

"I will." They didn't spend long at Gildharbour. Once they landed and took care of some minor formalities, they were off. Ryland tried to keep an eye out for… he wasn't even sure entirely. There was still no sign of the stolen Vestige. None of his magical questing was picking up any signs. This thief was very adept. Academ Jules led them to the hotel where they'd be residing, allowing them to drop off their luggage and goods before the actual trip of the day started.

The one where they hared off to visit the Living Mana Incursion beyond the city's borders. At least they got some time to freshen up and get some food. Ryland didn't particularly care for it himself, but he appreciated it on behalf of the students. The skyship had been wonderful in most regards, but even then, being cooped up on one transport for a few days, no matter how large, wouldn't have felt nice. So, Ryland was glad they were now free and back on the ground.

"I can't believe they're letting us meet the Incursion head on," Viren murmured when they were on their way. He was staring out at the countryside passing them by.

"It's not that big of a deal," Acrypha said. She appeared to be distracted by something, her eyes far away.

"We were already face-to-face with the Incursion back in Arcoryx."

"Right, but this one is different." She didn't argue that. The Excursion Club had hired a small fleet of self-driving carriages to take them to their destination. Apparently, the roads even outside the city were good enough. Ryland, Acrypha, and Viren had taken one carriage. They could have fit two more people at least in there, but for some reason, Academ Jules had decided that they could enjoy some privacy.

Either the academy had spared enough funds to hire more carriages than they strictly needed, or the leader of the excursion had seen fit to give Ryland a bit of preferential treatment. He decided not to ponder it too much. The journey to the actual Incursion didn't take very long at all. One of the reasons why Viren was staring out through the windows was because they were getting a clear view of how things were changing. Which signalled that they were getting closer and closer.

The grass turned a strange mix of liquid and solid, almost gelatinous in a way. It was also bright blue. The trees were shifting from brown bark and green leaves to constructs of dark rocks occasionally letting out smoke and steam through holes in their "branches". Then there was the air itself. They were still breathing what they normally would have but there was something additional in the air. A certain, crisp coldness had taken root, infecting the atmosphere. It wasn't harmful.

Ryland had already determined its magical properties. They would be fine. So long as they kept their exposure to a minimum, and ensured they purified themselves upon return. They would need to be careful. The carriages stopped in a long line and the Excursion Club members gathered together behind Academ Jules, who met up with the squad of Warden Mages leading the way.

"I'm certain the rules of this excursion have been clarified already," the Senior Warden stationed at the location said in a clipped voice.

"But the first and foremost rule is that you must obey the Wardens at all times. We are the arbiters of safety here, for we have the most experience with this Incursion. As such, what we say goes. Is that clear?" If that was a little too brusque or anything of the sort, no one complained. The Wardens were the most familiar with the Incursion in this instance, so it would be in their best interests to heed their directions. Something that Academ Jules had already drilled into all the students.

The Wardens separated them into smaller squads. Ryland, unsurprisingly, ended up with both Viren and Acrypha. They were allowed to form their own teams, so long as they had at least one Warden with them. With all the teambuilding hassle taken care of, they were soon ready to head out.

"What's the point of an Incursion like this?" Viren asked.

"What's the point of Incursions in general?" Acrypha asked, though her question came out as more of a grumble.

"The point of an Incursion is to fight back against the use of mana in general," Ryland said.

"Against the use of magic itself."

"It's in the name, Acrypha," Viren said.

"When something's supposedly living, do you think it will want to be used? We learned this even before first year!" Acrypha just grumbled a bit more. Ryland didn't manage to catch what she had said. Maybe it had just been inaudible mutters." This Living Mana Incursion is special," the Warden said. Ryland nodded.

"Indeed. I've only heard of one other instance where the Living Mana replicated an entire ecosystem successfully. I assume this hasn't been uprooted entirely because so far, the harm has been minimal and many are far more inclined to study the phenomena since it doesn't present a clear threat just yet."

"Yes, sub-Academ. We have regular visits from the academy and from several other interested parties who wish to understand the Living Mana better instead of blindly eradicating it."

"It isn't a venture without merit, so long as the right care is taken." Living Mana's first priority was establishing itself as an entity that could propagate. Like most living things, it sought to continue the survival of its "species", so to speak. Of course, it had zero signs of life besides some level of independent thought and the ability to reproduce, but that was enough for most people's understanding of "living".

"This is even more incredible up close," Viren said. Ryland had to agree. The trees appeared far more looming and domineering when they were mere handspans away. Their rocky black barks stood out starkly against the occasional hisses of steam venting out of the stony branches jutting out here and there. Even closer at hand, the grass was basically like tentacles. It felt tremendously odd when they brushed against Ryland's robes, or when, on occasion, they slipped under.

He couldn't help but feel as though he ought to remain wary for when they came alive and tried to grab him.

"We haven't seen any animals, though," Acrypha pointed out after a while. A curious fact. Ryland couldn't recall having seen one either. The most likely reason for it was that there had never been any here to begin with.

"There were merely a few spare trees and such when this all started," the Warden said, echoing Ryland's hypothesis.

"What few birds and critters called the area home quickly disappeared once the Living Mana arrived."

"Disappeared… we better not disappear, Warden."

"Nonsense. Us Wardens have been going through this area for months. Nothing has happened to any of us. But don't worry. If my words don't reassure you, then just know that our destination is just up ahead." Their goal was just a clearing somewhere farther up. They were essentially supposed to rendezvous with the rest of the Excursion Club and get going. Academ Jules would allow some of them to claim some samples, safely extracted by the Warden Mages, to take back to the academy.

It was said the clearing was best for this because the Living Mana seemed least active there. Most of the researchers and investigators who visited the area went there too. Ryland frowned. He stopped for a moment, then kept walking. Though, when Acrypha looked back, he gently pulled her next to him, away from the guide and Viren.

"I need you to understand something very clearly, Acrypha," Ryland said.

"And I need you to tell it to Viren as discretely as you can without alerting our guide." The distracted look on her face faded rapidly as she heard the seriousness in Ryland's voice.

"What is it?" she asked.

"We've been caught by the Incursion. Our guide is… well, he's with the Living Mana."