[center][color=red]The First City of Cero, capital of T'sarae[/color][/center][hr]
[center][sub][written by Lovejoy & Drakey][/sub][/center]

The sky was gold, he saw.

Not just the burning gold of Omestrian ether, or the strange elemental gold of Ziotea's eyes, but a crystalline gold that never ceased to end its gleaming. To look upon it was to gaze upon a sea of jewels. Perhaps the gleaming came from the rays of the unknown sun that shined down upon the world. Rodion could picture its rays rippling through the dome's surface as it cast its dreamlike radiance on the city below. 

Cero was unlike anything he had ever seen. It was a an artfully crafted city-- its buildings, plazas and highroads built with grace and fluidity, unlike Magnagrad's endless and brutal urban sprawl. This seemed to reflect the two Remnants perfectly. Lord Varya hungered eternally, and always wanted more. Magnagrad, with its countless foundations and levels-- that ever-growing black mountain of blood and clockwork, seemed to exist solely as a representation of His unabating hunger. T'sarae, on the other hand, was a God of craft and creation, and the First City of Cero, encased within its impossible crystalline aegis, was testamount to that.

Since Rodion had arrived, the cavalcade of T'saraen freethinkers, scientists and engineers who shared his transport vehicle had been pointing out the countless marvels of creation that existed within the city. Head Engineer Amir T'sukasa, who had been Rodion's main guide and charged with bringing him to the imperial drydocks, pointed to the north. There in the northernmost sector of the city stood MUSE, the grand scientific academy which, according to scripture, Lord T'sarae himself had founded many centuries ago. And as they weaved through one of the congested highroads that stood over the city, another scientist pointed down at the plaza below, where stood the only church in the entire city. "We don't allow religious fervor to fester out of control here. It tends to get in the way of our work," she told him.

Finally, upon reaching the edge of Cero, where the skyscrapers that dotted the urban expanse were replaced with the low naval yards and drydocks and ringed its outskirts, Rodion could finally gaze upon it without having to crane his neck or squint his eyes-- The monolithic construct that covered the city like a pair of cupped palms...

The Aegisdome.

The enormity of it was unlike anything he had ever seen. The dome's surface was a perfectly cut collective of what appeared to be thousands of interlocking crystalline panels, which each panel easily being the size of a full city block. The dome acted as an actual aegis, thus, not only was it a marvel of scientific creation, but was also a construct of boundless magical power.

"Magnificent, isn't it? This is Lord T'sarae's greatest creation. Ancient build-records say He spent six days and seven nights constructing it," Head Engineer Amir told him with pride.

It certainly was impressive, but one thing about it in particular gnawed at Rodion. Why was it gold? Gold was the color of Omestrian ether. And as far as he knew, T'saraen blood was imbued with blue ether, just like everyone else's. The color immediately jumped out at him as being out of place.

"Are you wondering about the gold? Well, we... actually don't know the answer to that. Perhaps... Lord T'sarae made it this color because... He thought it  was pretty?" the engineer answered with a laugh.

With that, he was led down to the Imperial drydocks.

When he stepped foot on the shipyard, he was immediately brushed aside by a group of workers steadily making their way to a military vessel floating in the half-melted ice. The docks were chaotic with activity, restless-looking science corps officers barked orders as squadrons of laborers and builders carried supplies up and down the docks. There were dozens of military ships being outfitted for... what exactly? As far as Rodion knew, none of these ships could survive a journey to El. They were old warships from the Lanostran war, not true steam arks.

"We can't send these old beasts out to the Eastern Lands quite yet, but the Secular High Command wants them prepared for war all the same. Between you and me, there's talk of MUSE being on the cusp of an advancement in ether heating systems that's got every one of us excited. I wager within the year we'll be able to mass produce the stuff we have in the steam arks and outfit these old clunkers with them. Soon we'll have an invasion force the likes of which has never been seen," Amir told him, barely able to hide the grin on his face.

"Of course, what I told you is still classified," the engineer added with a smile.


[center][b]***[/b][/center]


Rodion listened to the researcher as he stood on the docks. Madrys, as a wolf, silently pawed the ground next to him. Her steal fur rippled with the movement of the plates that made up her 'skin'. Taking a deep breath, Rodion reflected a little bit on his trip through the T'sarean capital. Cero, it was truly a magnificent place for the young inquisitor. However, there was something that whispered in the back of the tinkerer's mind. It was the same whisper that he felt while in Magnagrad. He didn't belong here. While Rodion felt at ease in Cero, he knew that it was not the place for him. The man had gained both those traits which his blood bestowed upon him. The ravenous hunger of Varya and the curious mind of T'sarae. It was gift, but it also kept him from finding his home.

Watching the shipbuilders, Rodion caught sight of certain, covered, items being transferred to the old ships. Turning back to Amir, Rodion spoke, his voice coming out flat and emotionless. "Well, T'sukasa, I trust that since you have told me about this research, that you will keep me up to date on it whenever you can." Pulling the fingerless gloves that he wore even further down his hands, Rodion sighed ever so slightly. He had watched as they passed MUSE, oh what an establishment it was. However, the grand Aegis that T'sarae himself built loomed over them.

"It was not because T'sarae thought gold was pretty." Rodion abruptly changed the subject. It was his terrible habit of doing this that made him so hard to understand. At least, that was what Tatiana had taken to telling him over the years. "While the entire city of Cero is truly beautiful, all of it serves a function. So we can surmise that the gold of the Aegis truly has some sort of purpose." Thinking for a moment, Rodion continued, "Perhaps he and Omestris had worked together to build it. Or maybe T'sarae had found another fragment of the Old One, a fragment that held part of the power of the Old Evil." The thoughts threatened to continue as Rodion forcibly put a tap on them. Instead, he changed the subject once more.

"Tell me, T'sukasa, what does it take to get accepted into MUSE?" Rodion had heard tales of the school, and how he wanted to see its jeweled halls. Bending down, Rodion's hair fell across his shoulders. Reaching out, he scratched the top of Madrys' head, "Get up Madrys, we will be going to the Karamzina soon."

The wolf responded slowly. Getting up on all four paws, Madrys stretched out her front two legs. Yawning, her ether coated fangs shone in the early morning. Streams of golden ether flowed underneath her steel skin as she shook her head, steel fur moving fluidly with it. Standing the three and a half foot tall wolf looked up at her owner, creator, and master.