The Stubborn Light of a Dying Flame [Isekai - LitRPG]

If Rayna knew that meeting Nali would require two weeks of boat travel, she might have reconsidered the plan. It took all of her self-control to stick to what she said; the conversation with Lord Myre wouldn't continue until she made sure that Nali was all right.

Of course, this meant she had almost nothing to do for the whole two weeks. She didn't dare read the System manual this close to people who might actually know what it was, so instead, she passed the time reading various books from Phira's Library. There were literally hundreds of books on runes, but by the third or fourth one, Rayna's brain had just about turned to mush, so she decided to switch to a lighter read.

There was plenty of history hidden within the artifact; not only Phira's diaries, but also several journals from other people Phira had known, as well as some that had been acquired through various archaeological digs.

On the fifth day, Rayna pulled a book that she couldn't even read. It was the first in a series titled 'Archaeological Finds' and Rayna had been expecting a logbook or something.

"Phira, what's this one?" she had asked, running her finger over the boxy letters on the front cover.

No idea, Phira replied telepathically. It was found in a dig on the northeastern tip of the peninsula. I never found the time to have it translated into a language I knew.

They had made the decision early on to keep Phira hidden. Technically, Naomi had already met her once, but she was still their best trump card if anything went wrong.

How they could use said trump card was still in discussion.

Rayna just shrugged and morphed the library into another book.

All of this down time had another benefit; even with the MP that Rayna was using to morph her library, she had plenty of Mana left to funnel into her amulet. She didn't even take it off to sleep, too scared that she might lose it again.

When they finally reached their destination, Rayna was a little wobbly from having adjusted to balancing on the water. She didn't travel by boat much. She had taken a ferry once or twice, but they had never lasted more than a few hours.

Corban, in contrast, didn't seem to have trouble at all.

"Used to go on cruises a lot with my parents," he explained. "You get used to it after a while."

Rayna resisted the urge to ask how much money his parents made. She couldn't imagine going on one cruise, let alone multiple.

The tiny dock barely had enough room for three medium-sized boats. Next to it, a small guard house was built along with what looked like a storage shed. It was old, but well-maintained.

Lord Myre and Naomi joined them on the dock, both looking a little green. So, the body snatchers weren't too good with sea travel, either? That was interesting.

"I still don't get why we can't just teleport," Naomi grumbled.

"There are precautions in place to prevent it," Lord Myre said.

"A stupid precaution," Naomi snapped.

"A necessary one," Lord Myre countered.

Rayna shifted uncomfortably, feeling like she was trapped in the middle of a family argument. It was obvious that Naomi was the younger sibling, but the difference was more extreme than their appearances would suggest. Lord Myre carried himself with the confidence of a man well established in his industry, while Naomi looked like a recent graduate still trying to figure out if it's unprofessional to list your hobbies on a resume.

Rayna wondered what the actual age difference was. From the way Naomi interacted, she would have guessed a few years at the most, but Lord Myre acted more like an uncle than a sibling.

Rayna wasn't sure what they were waiting for until the first boat left, taking with it three passengers that had been waiting when they arrived. A few minutes later, a new boat docked.

"Perfectly timed," Corban muttered. "They have long-range communication."

"Scry glasses," Naomi explained. "I don't suppose you've seen one before. They're small glass balls that let us communicate over distances. The abilities of the scry glass depends on the skill of the Runesmith that makes them and the quality of the materials used. Portable ones are extremely expensive, but well worth the hassle. Once we begin training, Rayna, I'll get you your own."

Lord Myre frowned disapprovingly at Naomi. "I never said you could train her."

Naomi lifted her chin. "That's not your decision. Rayna already asked me, and I would be a far better trainer than you."

"Is that so?" Lord Myre asked, light disgruntlement overshadowed by the amusement in his voice.

"It is," Naomi insisted. "We're about the same age, when you take her human aging into account, but I have much more training than her. She is intelligent and a natural, just like me." She grinned. "And she doesn't trust you, so I have the upper hand."

Rayna was speechless. Wasn't this the sort of conversation you had in private?

"I don't trust either of you," she said when she found her voice again. "And I'm only willing to accept your help because I don't want to get myself killed."

Naomi blushed. "Sorry, Rayna. I didn't mean to presume."

Rayna shrugged. "I'm getting used to it."

The boat finished docking and the passengers came down a large ramp to meet them on the dock.

Nali looked a little worse for wear. Her clothing was rumpled, and she looked like she might puke. Din supported her as she walked down the ramp, and strangely enough, a human walked behind them, his scraggly chin showing signs of a botched attempt to shave.

"Evening, folks," he said with a grin. "Were you lot the ones who summoned us from our cells?"

Nali caught sight of Rayna, and her face tightened. Straightening up, she turned to Lord Myre. "What business have you with my ward?"

Lord Myre shook his head. "Don't misread the situation, Lady Emery. Rayna came here of her own accord."

Nali turned her displeasure on Rayna. "You were supposed to be hiding from Lord Myre, not joining him. What possessed you?"

Rayna sighed. "It's a long story. I owe you another apology, but it's good to see you're okay."

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"You were ever in doubt?" Nali asked, a bit of amusement sneaking into her voice. "I am appalled at your lack of faith in me."

"You should see your husband."

"Before we continue," Lord Myre cut in. "We should move inside. There is a small sitting area in the guard house and refreshments waiting for us. This discussion is too long to have while standing, I'm afraid."

They were led to a cramped sitting room that was only designed to seat four people comfortably. Small pastries were laid out on the table in the center of the room and a mage light hung in the air, shining so much light on the tiny space that Rayna had to squint. Lord Myre waved his hand, and the light dimmed slightly, making it more bearable.

No one sat down, nor did they go for the refreshments.

They all watched each other suspiciously, waiting for Lord Myre to start the conversation.

"We sent for you specifically," Lord Myre said finally. "Why did the other two accompany you?"

Din glared at the man, but Nali stepped in before she could say anything.

"I didn't feel comfortable leaving my companions alone on Lapis," she said. "Surely, you can understand my hesitation."

Lord Myre nodded in acknowledgment, but Rayna wasn't sure if he was acknowledging the validity of Nali's concerns, or merely the fact that she had them.

"Is anyone going to sit down?" Corban asked nervously. "This is awkward as hell."

The man traveling with Nali snorted. "You're gonna have to get used to that. These people could rival the most serious of Larpers for palpable angst."

Lord Myre frowned. "Larpers?"

"Live-action-role-players," Rayna said.

"People who get together to pretend they're from a different time period, or act out different scenarios," Corban added when they still looked confused. "Basically, the sci-fi-fantasy equivalent of history reenactors."

"It's not important," the other man said. "I just mean that you lot have a stick up your—"

"Harry," Nali hissed. "Sometimes it's better to keep your thoughts inside your head."

Harry shrugged. "Fine, but it doesn't make 'em any less true."

Din ducked her head to cover a smirk. Rayna was relieved to see that their time in captivity hadn't disheartened Nali or Din in any way. She had no way of knowing if Harry was his usual self, but he seemed pretty normal, relatively speaking.

Lord Myre gestured for Nali to sit down but she ignored him.

"I will not pretend to exchange pleasantries. I have seen the abhorrent conditions you are keeping people in and have no desire to continue with this charade."

Lord Myre frowned in what looked like genuine confusion. "Abhorrent? What do you mean?"

"Overcrowded houses, malfunctioning wards, no supervision or support," Nali rattled off. "That's just what I've seen in the first month. The place is barely tolerable."

"It was all right," Harry said. "You should have seen the hostile I stayed at in—"

"Not the point," Nali said, not letting him derail the conversation. "Palatable is not the same as acceptable. If you are going to pretend to be the righteous party in this situation, you had better back up your claims with action."

Naomi rounded on Lord Myre. "You told me they were well taken care of."

"They are," Myre insisted. "I pay good coin to have that area patrolled and protected."

Din scoffed. "I spent half a day fixing that sorry excuse for a ward. The city was basically unprotected and the wards on the path were failing as well."

Lord Myre shook his head. "We'll discuss the situation on Lapis after we address the main reason we're here. Rayna, you've seen Lady Emery and confirmed that she's alive and well. Will you cooperate with us?"

Nali narrowed her eyes. "Cooperate with what?"

Rayna sighed. Guess it's my turn to speak…

She walked around the chair and took a seat. "Sit down and let's talk. I won't act dumb and pretend that I think you're telling me everything, but I want to know anything you're willing to tell me about Ashen, Lerians, Corvi and the System."

Din stiffened, the move barely perceptible. Rayna only noticed because the movement jostled her seat.

Nali took a seat next to Rayna, a much appreciated symbol of her support.

Lord Myre nodded and took a seat across from Nali while Naomi sat across from Rayna. The rest were forced to remain standing.

"Where to begin?" Myre said almost wistfully. "Perhaps an introduction. I am Crown Prince Enathar Emberan, first in line to the throne of Ellis and the keeper of the boundary between Ashen and Ember. This is my younger sister, Princess Naomi Emberan, in charge of diplomatic relations between Ashen and Ember as well as oversight of known cracks and portals. Six thousand years ago, we were the sole children of King Ernan and Queen Nina, the last rulers of Ellis before what would later come to be known as the Cataclysm.

"Contrary to what the System will tell you, the Cataclysm came on slowly. First, monsters began spawning in places where no dungeon was established. These later came to be known as 'spawn zones' by the current residents of Ember. The System considered these spawn zones dungeons, though we couldn't figure out why, and every time we closed a spawn zone crack, resolving the known issue, a new one was discovered somewhere else on Ember."

"Boundary? Crack?" Nali asked. "Perhaps start with an explanation of these if they're required for the history to make sense."

Rayna knew what they were, but she didn't admit it as she sat through a brief explanation of what she already knew. Lord Myre's explanation wasn't as detailed as the section she read in the System Manual, but it included personal anecdotes about the best ways to close a crack and how to detect one when you couldn't run a scan—such as in Miasma soaked areas in which pinpointing the source of the Miasma might become difficult.

Rayna made a mental note of everything they said, planning to write it all down when she was in private.

"So, this parallel world," Nali said. "Ashen, you called it? What is it exactly?"

"It was the home of the Corvi," Naomi said. "Their people were linked to ours in a way that we were only just beginning to understand. Ashen didn't used to be so… dead."

Din gripped the back of Rayna's chair, and Rayna glanced back at the woman. She looked upset, but Rayna had no way of knowing what she was upset about.

Lord Myre took notice as well. "Don't be alarmed. The decay in Ashen won't reach Ember. We have better protections against such things than the Corvi did."

Din nodded tightly. "I understand. It's just…alarming to hear."

Lord Myre nodded. "It is. Returning to the subject of the Cataclysm. While the lead up to it was subtle, the fallout was immense. All of the dungeons overflowed at once. The known dungeons and the unofficial ones alike. The world filled with monsters faster than we could kill them.

"Those of us who escaped the initial onslaught holed up in the System tower, looking for a way to beat them back. The System emergency protocols locked down the peninsula with a barrier to protect the outside world from the hordes, but we still don't know what happened to them. After six thousand years of no word, I can only assume that they were also caught up in the wave.

"It was Cremble's idea to put us all in stasis to conserve food and energy for the System."

"Eldar Cremble?" Rayna asked. "The System Administrator?"

"Well, his name isn't Eldar, actually," Naomi said awkwardly. "I don't know how that rumor started. Eldar was his race."

Rayna blinked. "He wasn't a Lerian?" She had assumed that Lerians were the only race on Ember—besides perhaps the Corvi. If there were Lerians and Eldars, what other races were lost to time?

"His secondary race," Lord Myre clarified. "Some call it a sub-race. You have already evolved once. Your character sheet should have a second race name on there; A'Lerian."

Rayna nodded.

"There are five plateaus in Lerian progression," Lord Myre explained. "Lerian, A'lerian, Lera, Edlan, and Eldar. They most often coincide with Class Ascension, since the Class system was designed with Lerian physiology in mind, but other factors can delay plateaus or make them happen earlier. It's not wise to try to force it, however, as that can be dangerous if your body is unable to handle the change.

"Eldar is the sub-race that comes with the Level 300 Ascension. Were I still a Lerian, I would be an Edlan or an Eldar."

"Damn," Corban said. "That's cool. Do we get something like that?"

Naomi shook her head. "As far as we know, it's Lerian-specific. We've met a few other races with some sort of evolution system, but they didn't match up with ours."

Corban's shoulders drooped.

"Evolution sucks," Rayna assured him. "You're better off as a human."

Lord Myre shook his head. "Evolution can come with challenges but also rewards. I'm sure you've noticed an increase of your abilities since evolving."

"Like the bubble thing?" Rayna asked.

"Not just that," Naomi said. "Your telepathic translation should have a better range, and your magic senses should be more refined. Everyone is different, but there are some commonalities, like being able to sense Miasma after the third or fourth plateau."

Rayna kept the fact that she could already sense Miasma to herself. She didn't need to give them all of her secrets, even if she was thankful to finally have some answers.

"So, Inheritances—"

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Nali said, cutting Rayna off. "But I would like to hear the end of the story before you get into your training. I assume you will be sending me back to Lapis after this conversation?"

"No," Rayna said.

"Yes," Lord Myre said at the same time.

Rayna glared at him. "What's the point of locking her up? I'm the one that revealed your secret, not her."

Lord Myre's face crinkled into a puzzled frown. "I have yet to figure out how you knew. It made sense when I thought you were a seer, but if that is, indeed, not your gift, then how is it that you came to hear the name Emberan?"