Mahya and Al set out to clear the three dungeons in the ruined city near the original Sanctuary, hunting for crystals. I still needed them to craft the larger ones for the balloon gizmos. Mahya had already built two, but with New Sanctuary now operating five balloons and planning three more, the demand kept rising.
Rue promptly opted out when he heard one contained plants—poisonous ones, at that. Instead, he stuck around, keeping company while I worked through the last of the books we planned to leave behind. "Keeping company" turned out to be an issue. Every ti I finished a page, a massive, furry head word its way under my hand, demanding ear scratches.
I tolerated it for a while, but after the tenth interruption, I snapped the book shut and gave him a look. "Why don’t you go visit your friends? We’re leaving soon, so you should spend ti with them."
Rue’s ears twitched, but he didn’t move. "Friends work."
I raised an eyebrow. "Why didn’t you go with them?"
"No more stupid snakes. Friends no need Rue protection from stupid snakes."
I rubbed my temple. "So… maybe help them with carts or sothing?"
He shot a horrified look, his ears flattening. "Rue no horse!"
"I know you’re not a horse. But in this world, they use dogs for that kind of work, and you are a dog, no?"
Rue’s eyes narrowed. He let out a long, drawn-out sigh, the kind reserved for dealing with particularly slow humans, then shook his head with exaggerated disappointnt. "John is silly. Rue is no cart dog."
I lifted my hands in surrender. "Fine, stay here. But stop sticking your head under my hands."
Rue huffed, then flopped onto his beanbag like a sack of flour, limbs sprawled dramatically. His tail thumped once, as if to emphasize his suffering. Yes, my dog was a drama queen. Thanks for asking.
For the next week, our world revolved around books. Al buried himself in the massive to of Alchemy runes, muttering under his breath as he painstakingly translated each symbol. I wrapped up the formations book, then moved on to Basic Rituals and Magic Circles, the words blurring together after hours of work.
Mahya latched onto the Print Thoughts spell the mont I ntioned it. With a glint of determination, she set to work compiling a book of engineering knowledge—everything her apprentice engineer still lacked. It turned out that the issue with the spell wasn’t my incompetence—it was the spell itself.
Every ti the spell mangled her thoughts on the page, Mahya exploded in a furious string of curses, drawing from every world she had ever visited.
"By the shattered gears of Karvok! Rotten circuits and rusted mana coils! May the abyss take this useless excuse for a spell!"
She slamd her hand on the desk, scowling at the offending page as if sheer intimidation might force it to cooperate.
"Stars above, below, and sideways, this is worse than those cursed glyphs from Ravax!"
Mahya yanked at her braids, muttering sothing that sounded vaguely like a profanity—if one could curse using only vowels and clicks.
Rue, curled up on his beanbag, cracked open an eye. "Mahya angry words funny."
I snorted, flipping another page of my book. "She’s not wrong, though. That spell’s a ss."
"ss? ss?! This thing has the accuracy of a drunken skyfish with a broken wing!"
She jabbed a finger at the page, huffing out a breath that could’ve powered a wind turbine.
Al barely glanced up from his to, lifting an eyebrow. "You could refine your thoughts. I am sure the problem is a lack of clarity while casting."
Mahya let out a dramatic groan, throwing her hands up. "Oh, sure. Let refine my thoughts into perfect clarity while using a spell that was probably written by a sleep-deprived lunatic on a caffeine bender."
She grabbed the book again, scowling at it as if sheer willpower might force it to cooperate. Rue let out a sleepy chuff of amusent from his beanbag, his tail thumping on the floor. I just grinned and went back to translating. It was going to be a long week.
My next task was to create two more pairs of crystals for the balloon gizmos. Unfortunately, the crystals Mahya and Al brought back were just enough to cover that—no extras. Worse, I had no one to pass the process on to.
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After so thought, I decided to sketch the design for the engineer. He might not be able to replicate it now, but maybe, with ti and practice, he could figure it out.
Owen hovered nearby, watching as I carefully drew the magic circle on parchnt. His brows knitted together, his fingers twitching like he wanted to reach out and touch the design.
I set the pen down and tapped the outer ring. "This part needs to be etched exactly like this onto the crystal. Any deviation, even a fraction of a milliter, and the whole thing either fizzles out or explodes in your face."
Owen swallowed hard. "Explodes?"
"Just a little," I said, holding my fingers an inch apart. "Nothing dramatic. Probably."
He gave a flat look. "That’s not reassuring."
I smirked and pushed the parchnt toward him. "You'll be fine. The trick is the connections." I traced a finger along the delicate lines between the magic script and runes. "Every path needs to be even, no breaks, no overlapping. The mana flow depends on it. Get this right, and you might be able to make them yourself down the line."
Owen studied the design, his brows furrowed in concentration. He traced a finger along the parchnt, exhaling slowly. "I think I get it. It'll take so practice, but... yeah, I’m hopeful."
"Good," I said, nodding. "We’re leaving soon, so if you can figure this out, you won’t be left scrambling for gas later."
Owen let out a short laugh, rolling up the parchnt with care. "Yeah, no pressure or anything. Just the survival of the whole balloon project riding on ."
"You’ll manage.”
He snorted. "Sure. But if I blow sothing up, I’m blaming you."
"Fair enough," I said, grinning.
With our final projects wrapped up, the ti for goodbyes crept up faster than I liked.
Rima cornered early in the day, a notebook in hand, her expression a mix of determination and reluctant farewell. "I have a few last questions," she said, flipping through the pages. "Promise you won’t leave before I get them answered?"
I chuckled. "Wouldn’t dream of it."
We spent the day going over details—clarifications on healing techniques, theories she wanted to double-check, and a few last-minute bits of advice she scribbled down furiously. But after a while, the conversation drifted. We talked about books, the people here, and what ca next for both of us.
As the evening settled in and the air cooled, she walked to my house. Her steps slowed, her fingers twisting together. Then, just as I turned to go in, she pulled into a hug.
"Thank you," she murmured, voice thick with emotion. "For everything."
For once, I didn’t have a quick response. I just hugged her before stepping back. "Take care of yourself, Rima."
She nodded, blinking fast, and with one last lingering look, she walked away.
My last goodbye was Roda, and I didn’t go empty-handed. With the balloon swaying gently beneath us, I placed five spell marbles in her hands—freshly made Harvest Mana Crystal spells. Her fingers curled around them, eyes shining.
"These will help a lot," she murmured, turning one over.
"Figured you’d need a steady supply," I said, handing over a bundle of translated books next. "And these should help."
The day stretched out as we drifted over New Sanctuary, the balloon carrying us in lazy loops above the cultivated fields, the fallow land waiting for new life, and the steady ribbon of the river. The wind was warm, the sky endless.
Roda leaned against the railing, watching the landscape pass below. "I still can’t believe how much has changed," she said, shaking her head. "When I first started all this, I just wanted to keep people alive. Now… now I want to build sothing bigger."
I raised an eyebrow. "Bigger?"
She turned to , grinning. "A trade network. A real one, between the good cities. With the balloons, we can make it work—fast travel, safe routes. Maybe even all the way to Zarad to rescue more slaves if we’re careful."
That was ambitious. I let out a low whistle. "That’s… a hell of a plan."
Her expression hardened with resolve. "We’re also going to keep rescuing people from other places," she said, her voice steady. "Even without you."
I nodded, pulling out a piece of paper and a pen. "Then you’ll need this."
I sketched quickly, marking down every city we’d passed—every place still breathing, still alive. Then, using a different color, I traced the location of the edible dungeon.
"These are your best bets," I said, tapping the city markers. "They’ve got people, but they’re like Almatai and Almadris, so make sure your people stay cautious."
My finger moved to the dungeon mark. "And this one—this is a ga-changer. If you can secure it, you’ll have a steady supply of honey, nuts, and even so eggs."
She studied the map in silence, eyes flicking between the marks. When she looked up, sothing in her gaze had shifted—steadied.
"Thank you," she said softly.
We spent the rest of the ride laughing, talking, and making plans we wouldn’t be around to see through. As the sun dipped below the horizon, we made our way to my house, where the rest of the apprentices were already waiting.
Everyone we had taught had gathered—healers, alchemists, woodworkers, one engineer. Roda stood among them, along with a few others who had joined on rescue missions more than once, Mountain included. The air buzzed with quiet anticipation, a mix of gratitude and unspoken farewells hanging between us.
I had gone all out for our last dinner together—sothing special, sothing morable. The table overflowed with dishes: slow-roasted at glazed in a dark, spiced honey sauce, its edges caralized to perfection; fluffy herb-studded flatbreads warm from the pan; a bright, citrusy salad tossed with roasted nuts and crumbled cheese; and a deep, fragrant stew simred with root vegetables, tender enough to lt on the tongue.
The room buzzed with conversation as plates were passed, laughter spilling between mouthfuls. Even Rue had his own feast—thick, aty cuts set aside just for him, which he devoured with loud, appreciative chomps.
By the ti everyone had eaten their fill, Roda stood at the head of the table, her glass raised, seriousness settling over her expression. The chatter faded, all eyes turning to her.
"For everything you’ve done," she said, voice clear and unwavering. "For giving us a future."
A chorus of cheers followed, glasses clinking together in a last toast.
When the night wound down, she hugged each of us—Rue included, much to his delight.
"Rue good dog," he inford her as she scratched behind his ear.
She laughed. "The best dog."
Then, with one last lingering hug and thank you, she stepped back, letting us go.
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