August 8th, 10:38 AM
Hub City; The Wedge
”Hnn~!” Karen Hernandez focused on the spark of arcane energy at her fingertip, willing it to orbit her in her mind. Having already drawn sufficient power from the rich laylines of Hub City, all she needed to do now was command this simple spell she had already conjured. With pursed lips, she watched as it began to drift into the air before falling into an only slightly wobbly orbit around her head. Good, now she just needed it to remain as such while she wasn’t so deeply concentrated on it.
The whole point of this spell, after all, was to provide a light source in dark places as you went about your business. If she couldn’t keep it active while doing other things, then it was pretty much useless. She had been practicing for hours each day with this and the various other spells Mr. Luneburg had given her since their meeting eleven days ago. She couldn’t claim to be particularly good with any of them yet, but she was definitely making some progress!
Relaxing slightly, she exhaled. The small orb of light - now looking much more solid than her earliest attempts - continued to circle about her head.
After what happened with Timothy McClellan and his parents, she had resolved to become better. To become more worthy of the power she had been given. Her first step in this had been visiting Lundgrau’s corporate headquarters and learning magic from the one person she felt might be willing to teach her. If she had been a skilled magician, then surely she could’ve saved Tim and his parents that day. While it was too late to change that, she could at least ensure it never happened to anyone else.
And maybe, just maybe find a way to restore him.
The second thing she had done - one of the most difficult things in her entire life - was tell Zoey the truth about her age. That...had certainly been a memorable experience to say the least. It certainly made it a lot easier to drown herself in her magical studies, which was precisely what she had been doing.
Heh, drown...
She had plans today, too. Being the Wizard came with more responsibilities than she just beating up monsters and Nazis, as Samantha had pointed out to her numerous times. She stood at the highest point in the arcane world, and would need to acquaint herself with the other major players within it. Mr. Luneburg was a good start. Now she would contact King Orin of Atlantis.
Crazy, right?! Atlantis was real, and it was ruled by a total hunk. One that she would need to try and avoid making herself look like a moron in front of. She had tried to act mature as Lady Arcana in the past, but it had never been a perfect guise. She needed to do better here. This was diplomacy, after all!
Smiling slightly when she noted that her little spark hadn’t faded yet, Karen consciously commanded it to dissipate as she snatched a small seashell from her bedside drawer. Turning to her window, she stepped up onto the seal and leaped out into the alley. Landing with a roll this time, she quickly ran towards the back before speaking her word.
”SHAZAM!”
Like always, at her command a bolt of lightning descended from the heavens above. Before the smoke could even clear from the area, Lady Arcana had ascended high into the skies above Hub City, flipping open the seashell. It….wasn’t too different from her cellphone, in truth. No, that wasn’t actually true. It was much more sophisticated than her regular one or her burner.
Hitting the only contact listed, the Wizardess waited quietly as it...rang? Patched her through? Whatever it was doing.
King Orin sat upon his coral-like throne in the citadel of Poseidonis, going through reports from the surface world. His agents had been gathering anything related to his appearance during the battle he had taken part in, and his advisors had been arguing for near two weeks about what to do next. Hide or go up there, military presence or diplomacy, make demands or come in friendship. Truth be told, Orin barely listened to it anymore. He had already decided what his course of action would be, when he chose to reveal Atlantis. Now it was just a matter of finding the right time…
Orin’s comm shell suddenly began to chirp at him, and he breathed a sigh of relief that he was just going over reports, and not in the midst of a meeting. He pulled the seashell-like device from his belt and opened it, noting that the connection seemed strong and stable, even at these more advanced distances. Good, he’d have to let the researchers know their magic was interfacing well with the technology.
Lady Arcana’s face appeared on the screen, it seemed as though she was flying. Not that Orin could fault her for that, if he could fly he’d be doing it practically all the time. He could swim though, and that was a nice perk. Like flying, but underwater. Anyway. Orin smiled and nodded to the image on the screen. ”Lady Arcana! I had hoped to hear from you soon. What do I owe the pleasure of the call to?”
”Ah, hello King Orin!” Lady Arcana responded with a warm smile and a courteous bow, wanting to be respectful in the face of royalty. ”I recall that you mentioned wanting to meet again at some point in the future. I’ve been….well, pretty busy this past month, but I just wanted you to know that I’m available now at your earliest convenience.”
Hah, nice! She sounded just like an adult there. Sophisticated as fuck, bitch!
King Orin nodded, recalling some of the reports he had gotten of the… Altercation Lady Arcana had in her city. ”I understand, Lady Arcana. The… Trials of being the Wizard must put a strain on your social life.” He smiled as he tapped the screen to get a location for the call. Somewhere above Hub City, it seemed. ”I had wanted to explain to you Atlantis’s position, as well as our magical properties and our people, as well as… Perhaps ask you advice on some things. Would you care for a personal tour of the city under the sea?”
Wow, he was actually offering her a tour of Atlantis? That...sounded pretty freakin’ awesome!
”Erm, of course, King Orin. I would love a tour of your...esteemed city,” she replied, still striving to maintain an air of maturity and grace. Maybe she should just slow her perception so she could think up the best possible lines to really impress this guy? Wait, how did she do that again? It usually just automatically did it when she moved quickly. Shiiiit, there wasn’t really any time to figure it out right now! ”Where should I meet your most uh….aquatic kingliness?”
At the initial confirmation of interest, Orin had pulled up a map on the device, unfortunately confirming that the city Arcana defended was in the middle of a landmass. He chuckled to himself as he registered the attempts at decorum from the mage, and shook his head.
”Well unfortunately I cannot send a submarine to your exact location. However, I could send you the location of Posiedonis and you could fly here yourself, or I could send transport to practically anywhere connected to the ocean. It would likely be faster for you to fly here yourself though. I assume you have ways to breath underwater?” Orin asked, thinking of the ocean depths between the surface and the city’s protective dome.
”Oh, uh…yes. I do not require breath to air. Err...I....mean…” Lady Arcana shook her head, suppressing a groan of frustration at herself. It seemed the hard she tried, the worse she did.”...I’ll manage, don’t worry. Please send me the location.”
She had only gone beneath the waves a few times since gaining her powers, but she knew her flight worked pretty well there. She couldn’t as fast as she could in the sky, naturally, but she was certainly still faster than any ship or submarine would be.
Aquaman stood in the center of the city, staring up at the expansive ocean above. As the comm shell on his belt beeped a proximity alert, he nodded to the workers nearby, who began working the mechanisms to open the access port in the top of the dome. Water cascaded down the sides of the city-encompassing dome, filtering through drainage pipes as it was sent back into the seas. A moment later a purple flash of color signaled Lady Arcana’s arrival, and King Orin stepped forward with a wide smile and open arms as she touched down. He turned and held a hand out, showing off the tall, coral-like structures of the city and its gleaming marble streets. He nodded to his visitor as a small crowd of gathered onlookers cheered.
”Welcome Lady Arcana, the new Wizard, to Posiedonis! The gleaming capital city of Atlantis and the oldest living civilization on earth! Welcome to my home.”
Karen hadn’t been expecting a crowd to be waiting for her. She had honestly thought this would be a fairly low key affair, but apparently their meeting was some kind of really big deal down here. The journey hadn’t taken long, at least, once she’d received the signal. It had definitely been the deepest underwater she’d ever gone, though, and holy sauceballs was this place amazing!
The streets reminded her of the Rock of Eternity in how they shimmered against the light, smooth and without flaw. The buildings - looking weirdly organic in a way - were far different than anything she’d ever seen before. And the people? Well they looked mostly human...but with a hint that something about them was different, kind of like with Orin.
”T-thank you, your Majesty. It’s an honor to be here,” she smiled, offering him the best curtsey she could manage. Everyone seemed to happy that they were meeting that it was impossible for her not to wave to them. ”Your city is really coo-err, beautiful.”
Orin chuckled and bowed his head as he waved slightly to the gathered citizens. ”Don’t mind them, we… Don’t get very many visitors down here as you can imagine, and certainly none as important as yourself.” He turned away from the crowd and instructed the workers to close the port before turning back to Lady Arcana. ”And I agree, the city is very cool.” He said with a knowing wink.
”Though I had little to do with its construction. I’ve mainly been overseeing some rebuilding from the recent attacks and going over what additional projects we could take on now that magic has returned. Atlantis is, after all, a massive hub of laylines and magical energy.” Orin said proudly, bringing up the shell again and activating a projected map of layline hubs intersecting throughout the city and the territory beyond. A map that he himself had laid out as a young prince, in the precious free time away from his responsibilities.
Lady Arcana leaned over slightly to stare at the map, her eyes lighting up in amazement at just how many laylines intersected through this place. In truth, she could feel the magic coursing through the city before she event entered the dome proper. It was second only to the Rock of Eternity itself when it came to the abundance of arcane power she was feeling. ”Wow, you’ve got to have enough power flowing through here to cast nearly any spell!”
She was quite thankful that she had gone to Mr. Luneburg before visiting this place. At least now she could talk magic a little. She knew the basics of channeling, and how magic was formed into spells, so she hopefully wouldn’t come across like a total retard.
”With all these laylines, it’s no wonder you guys know a ton about magic. Even before I became the Wizard, there must’ve been enough magic here to pull off some interesting tricks, she noted. It was really crazy, in truth. On the surface, she’d heard that mages had to really strangle the laylines to get their spells to work prior to her inheriting the Rock, and even then the effects were relatively small.
Orin nodded as he examined the map with Lady Arcana. Though he knew each line and intersection by heart, he still loved to see the interactions. ”These laylines and the incredibly magical energy here are what gave our ancestors an advantage over any other civilization thousands of years ago. Actually, we had our own Wizard once as well, I think he was the just before the last one if our histories are right. Of course, we could also see the waxing and waning of the laylines with the comings and goings of the Wizards as well, and so our ancestors also turned to technology as a backup. That’s really all that saved us after the meteor hit, the dome above us kept the water out without the need of magic, until we could develop spells to help us adapt. And of course, with the dried up laylines until your appointment, we’ve had to rely on technological means to stay safe. Though we have been experimenting some with magitech, though nothing so heinous as we saw in the desert.” Orin said darkly, remembering the devastation of that night.
”Of course, I didn’t invite you here simply to discuss history, there’s a whole city and the reefs beyond to see; everything from the palace to the sanctuary, the seed and animal vaults, and I would like to show you our magical artifacts as well; such as the tridents I carried with me when we first met. Where to first?” Orin asked with a friendly smile, gesturing to the city again.
Lady Arcana looked a little overwhelmed, in truth. He was basically offering to show her an entire city, and all of it sounded really amazing! Still, if there was one thing about her that was true whether it was on the surface or beneath the ocean, it was that she absolutely loved animals! ”I guess the seed and animal vaults!”
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Some time later, the Atlantean prince concluded their tour in the vaults. The pair had first gone through the seed vaults, a place to store and display rare and exotic undersea plants. The facility also help samples of every plant in the ocean, as well as living specimens of every type of coral as well, just in case some terrible epidemic rendered the seas incapable of supporting that life anymore. There were many incredible specimens in the vault, many of which had likely never been seen by any human outside of Atlantis until now.
Orin then took his guest to the animal vault, an expansive quarantined area of the ocean and city where rare and endangered animal were kept safe. Orin had taken special care with this project, as it seemed more and more these days that species such as the blue whales or bottlenose dolphin were disappearing rapidly. With any luck, Orin’s goal was to preserve a small selection of these majestic sea creatures and hopefully rebuild populations. All too soon though, the tour had ended, and Orin led Lady Arcana back inside the dome
”I appreciate you taking such interest in my domain and our culture, Lady Arcana.” Orin said with a smile. ”It is not often I get to share my work with others. I’m very proud of this city and of my people. However, I think it’s time we got down to business. I am not wholly unaware of the events happening on the surface. I’ve seen reports of what happened in your city. I want to offer my condolences. If there is anything I can do for you, any way I could help, please ask. As King of Atlantis, I want to make sure me and my people can support the Wizard in whatever way you need.”
It had, honestly, been a mindblowing experience. This city was far and away more advanced than anything in her wildest dreams. Magic and technology working in tandem to create a paradise for everyone here. Most notably, she didn’t see one homeless or poor person during their travels through the undersea utopia...it honestly made her just a little bit jealous that she couldn’t have been born in such a wondrous place.
When King Orin began to speak of what had occurred in Hub City, she wasn’t certain as to whether he meant the fire eight months ago or Iron Eagle’s second attack in July. Either way, she couldn’t help but smile when he promised to aid her. She had always heard that royalty was uptight and snobbish, but he actually seemed really humble and kind!
”I really would appreciate that, King Orin,” Lady Arcana replied. ”I honestly wish that things up above were as nice down here. There’s...well, so many problems, you know? People without homes, starvation...all I really know how to do right now is punch bad guys in the face. I’m trying to fix that, but any help would be welcome!”
Orin nodded slowly as he listened to Lady Arcana’s impressions of his city and her vision for the world. He thought for a moment, considering that this may be the time to bring up his own questions as well.
”Lady Arcana, I must say… You may have one of the kindest hearts of anyone I’ve ever met.” He admitted, crossing his arms. ”I want to confide in you though, things down here… Well, they’re not a paradise, I don’t want you to have that impressions. We may not struggle with starvation or homelessness, but there is unrest. Most of my people are not warriors, and cannot fend for themselves out in the sea. Many feel trapped within the city here, even as advanced as it is. You wish to help the world, to make it a better place, and that is what I want for my people as well. I have a question for you of my own, one my advisors have been debating for months. However, I would trust your judgement over any of them.”
“I have been considering Atlantis’s place in the world. We have been hidden for thousands of years, nothing more than a half-remembered myth. For my whole life I have seen my people crammed into this small space, felt the waves of unrest here. I have seen the seas become polluted, witnessed giants pods and school reduced to only a few. I have built the animal vaults with my own hands to combat this, but… Could I do more if I revealed us to the surface? Could I help my people by exposing our existence? Could I help your people? Grow food and set up deep sea farms to produce cheap food? Share technology to improve quality of life? Help to bring about the regrowth of endangered animals, reduce pollution, stop the senseless hunting of whales and sharks? Or would I simply be putting my people in danger?”
“I know the sea, Lady Arcana. I know what I could offer your people. You know the surface. You know the dangers your governments could bring to bear. My question is this: Is it worth the risk? Do I expose my people in an effort to save both of ours? Or is it a fool’s errand?”
Lady Arcana stood silent, desperately trying to hide the fact that he was asking her a lot of really deep and important-sounding questions that she honestly didn’t have a single-effin’-clue how to answer. She was trying so hard to be better at her job, but this had reminded her of how she was still just a stupid kid. Should he share his technology? Should he trust the surface? Sure, feeding everyone sounded like a good idea, but at the same time she really didn’t like the idea of any of the surface government's getting their hands on this kind of technology.
Technology infused with magic!
”I…” Her voice trailed off, searching for the right words. Words that wouldn’t make her sound like the in-over-her-head brat that she was. ”I think maybe people wouldn’t be so scared if you offered them a lot of food? But maybe not technology? B-because a lot of them…most of them aren’t really ran by great people, and might do really bad things with it, you know?”
…That was the best “advice” she could offer him, and it still made her feel like a complete idiot. Damn it, pull it together Karen!.
King Orin fell silent for a moment, contemplating the advice Lady Arcana offered. It was simple enough, of course, and somewhat what he’d expected from her to be honest. But still, he had needed to hear it from her, and now he had options to consider. ”If you believe it would be safe for me to reveal Atlantis to the surface… The rest of the details can be worked out. Sanctions and embargos on technology, keeping anything dangerous of the hands of those who would abuse it; while offering aid and space to grow crops to help feed the starving and poor. And of course, cleaning up the seas and stopping illegal hunting.”
“As for your own problems, I can offer advice, aid in whatever matters you confide with me. Time with our mages, my artifacts, they layline network. You are an honored guest of Atlantis, and are welcome here whenever you please. I would just ask that you give me a call before showing up so I can cancel my meetings.” Orin said with a wry smile.
Lady Arcana’s shoulders relaxed, a gentle sigh escaping her as he accepted her rather simplistic advice. When he began to speak of his plans for interacting with the surface, she simply nodded her head in silence. Good for you, King Orin. He almost certainly knew how to handle this way better than she could ever hope to. At least, not without a few years of study.
And then she perked up slightly at his offer to allow her to study magic here. ”Really?! I-yes! Thank you! That would mean a ton to me if you would! I would never pass up the chance to learn more about magic in an amazing place like this!”
Okay, so this trip turned out to be a really great idea after all! She was glad she went through with it, even if she was a little out of her depth.
Heh.
Hub City; The Wedge
”Hnn~!” Karen Hernandez focused on the spark of arcane energy at her fingertip, willing it to orbit her in her mind. Having already drawn sufficient power from the rich laylines of Hub City, all she needed to do now was command this simple spell she had already conjured. With pursed lips, she watched as it began to drift into the air before falling into an only slightly wobbly orbit around her head. Good, now she just needed it to remain as such while she wasn’t so deeply concentrated on it.
The whole point of this spell, after all, was to provide a light source in dark places as you went about your business. If she couldn’t keep it active while doing other things, then it was pretty much useless. She had been practicing for hours each day with this and the various other spells Mr. Luneburg had given her since their meeting eleven days ago. She couldn’t claim to be particularly good with any of them yet, but she was definitely making some progress!
Relaxing slightly, she exhaled. The small orb of light - now looking much more solid than her earliest attempts - continued to circle about her head.
After what happened with Timothy McClellan and his parents, she had resolved to become better. To become more worthy of the power she had been given. Her first step in this had been visiting Lundgrau’s corporate headquarters and learning magic from the one person she felt might be willing to teach her. If she had been a skilled magician, then surely she could’ve saved Tim and his parents that day. While it was too late to change that, she could at least ensure it never happened to anyone else.
And maybe, just maybe find a way to restore him.
The second thing she had done - one of the most difficult things in her entire life - was tell Zoey the truth about her age. That...had certainly been a memorable experience to say the least. It certainly made it a lot easier to drown herself in her magical studies, which was precisely what she had been doing.
Heh, drown...
She had plans today, too. Being the Wizard came with more responsibilities than she just beating up monsters and Nazis, as Samantha had pointed out to her numerous times. She stood at the highest point in the arcane world, and would need to acquaint herself with the other major players within it. Mr. Luneburg was a good start. Now she would contact King Orin of Atlantis.
Crazy, right?! Atlantis was real, and it was ruled by a total hunk. One that she would need to try and avoid making herself look like a moron in front of. She had tried to act mature as Lady Arcana in the past, but it had never been a perfect guise. She needed to do better here. This was diplomacy, after all!
Smiling slightly when she noted that her little spark hadn’t faded yet, Karen consciously commanded it to dissipate as she snatched a small seashell from her bedside drawer. Turning to her window, she stepped up onto the seal and leaped out into the alley. Landing with a roll this time, she quickly ran towards the back before speaking her word.
”SHAZAM!”
Like always, at her command a bolt of lightning descended from the heavens above. Before the smoke could even clear from the area, Lady Arcana had ascended high into the skies above Hub City, flipping open the seashell. It….wasn’t too different from her cellphone, in truth. No, that wasn’t actually true. It was much more sophisticated than her regular one or her burner.
Hitting the only contact listed, the Wizardess waited quietly as it...rang? Patched her through? Whatever it was doing.
King Orin sat upon his coral-like throne in the citadel of Poseidonis, going through reports from the surface world. His agents had been gathering anything related to his appearance during the battle he had taken part in, and his advisors had been arguing for near two weeks about what to do next. Hide or go up there, military presence or diplomacy, make demands or come in friendship. Truth be told, Orin barely listened to it anymore. He had already decided what his course of action would be, when he chose to reveal Atlantis. Now it was just a matter of finding the right time…
Orin’s comm shell suddenly began to chirp at him, and he breathed a sigh of relief that he was just going over reports, and not in the midst of a meeting. He pulled the seashell-like device from his belt and opened it, noting that the connection seemed strong and stable, even at these more advanced distances. Good, he’d have to let the researchers know their magic was interfacing well with the technology.
Lady Arcana’s face appeared on the screen, it seemed as though she was flying. Not that Orin could fault her for that, if he could fly he’d be doing it practically all the time. He could swim though, and that was a nice perk. Like flying, but underwater. Anyway. Orin smiled and nodded to the image on the screen. ”Lady Arcana! I had hoped to hear from you soon. What do I owe the pleasure of the call to?”
”Ah, hello King Orin!” Lady Arcana responded with a warm smile and a courteous bow, wanting to be respectful in the face of royalty. ”I recall that you mentioned wanting to meet again at some point in the future. I’ve been….well, pretty busy this past month, but I just wanted you to know that I’m available now at your earliest convenience.”
Hah, nice! She sounded just like an adult there. Sophisticated as fuck, bitch!
King Orin nodded, recalling some of the reports he had gotten of the… Altercation Lady Arcana had in her city. ”I understand, Lady Arcana. The… Trials of being the Wizard must put a strain on your social life.” He smiled as he tapped the screen to get a location for the call. Somewhere above Hub City, it seemed. ”I had wanted to explain to you Atlantis’s position, as well as our magical properties and our people, as well as… Perhaps ask you advice on some things. Would you care for a personal tour of the city under the sea?”
Wow, he was actually offering her a tour of Atlantis? That...sounded pretty freakin’ awesome!
”Erm, of course, King Orin. I would love a tour of your...esteemed city,” she replied, still striving to maintain an air of maturity and grace. Maybe she should just slow her perception so she could think up the best possible lines to really impress this guy? Wait, how did she do that again? It usually just automatically did it when she moved quickly. Shiiiit, there wasn’t really any time to figure it out right now! ”Where should I meet your most uh….aquatic kingliness?”
At the initial confirmation of interest, Orin had pulled up a map on the device, unfortunately confirming that the city Arcana defended was in the middle of a landmass. He chuckled to himself as he registered the attempts at decorum from the mage, and shook his head.
”Well unfortunately I cannot send a submarine to your exact location. However, I could send you the location of Posiedonis and you could fly here yourself, or I could send transport to practically anywhere connected to the ocean. It would likely be faster for you to fly here yourself though. I assume you have ways to breath underwater?” Orin asked, thinking of the ocean depths between the surface and the city’s protective dome.
”Oh, uh…yes. I do not require breath to air. Err...I....mean…” Lady Arcana shook her head, suppressing a groan of frustration at herself. It seemed the hard she tried, the worse she did.”...I’ll manage, don’t worry. Please send me the location.”
She had only gone beneath the waves a few times since gaining her powers, but she knew her flight worked pretty well there. She couldn’t as fast as she could in the sky, naturally, but she was certainly still faster than any ship or submarine would be.
Aquaman stood in the center of the city, staring up at the expansive ocean above. As the comm shell on his belt beeped a proximity alert, he nodded to the workers nearby, who began working the mechanisms to open the access port in the top of the dome. Water cascaded down the sides of the city-encompassing dome, filtering through drainage pipes as it was sent back into the seas. A moment later a purple flash of color signaled Lady Arcana’s arrival, and King Orin stepped forward with a wide smile and open arms as she touched down. He turned and held a hand out, showing off the tall, coral-like structures of the city and its gleaming marble streets. He nodded to his visitor as a small crowd of gathered onlookers cheered.
”Welcome Lady Arcana, the new Wizard, to Posiedonis! The gleaming capital city of Atlantis and the oldest living civilization on earth! Welcome to my home.”
Karen hadn’t been expecting a crowd to be waiting for her. She had honestly thought this would be a fairly low key affair, but apparently their meeting was some kind of really big deal down here. The journey hadn’t taken long, at least, once she’d received the signal. It had definitely been the deepest underwater she’d ever gone, though, and holy sauceballs was this place amazing!
The streets reminded her of the Rock of Eternity in how they shimmered against the light, smooth and without flaw. The buildings - looking weirdly organic in a way - were far different than anything she’d ever seen before. And the people? Well they looked mostly human...but with a hint that something about them was different, kind of like with Orin.
”T-thank you, your Majesty. It’s an honor to be here,” she smiled, offering him the best curtsey she could manage. Everyone seemed to happy that they were meeting that it was impossible for her not to wave to them. ”Your city is really coo-err, beautiful.”
Orin chuckled and bowed his head as he waved slightly to the gathered citizens. ”Don’t mind them, we… Don’t get very many visitors down here as you can imagine, and certainly none as important as yourself.” He turned away from the crowd and instructed the workers to close the port before turning back to Lady Arcana. ”And I agree, the city is very cool.” He said with a knowing wink.
”Though I had little to do with its construction. I’ve mainly been overseeing some rebuilding from the recent attacks and going over what additional projects we could take on now that magic has returned. Atlantis is, after all, a massive hub of laylines and magical energy.” Orin said proudly, bringing up the shell again and activating a projected map of layline hubs intersecting throughout the city and the territory beyond. A map that he himself had laid out as a young prince, in the precious free time away from his responsibilities.
Lady Arcana leaned over slightly to stare at the map, her eyes lighting up in amazement at just how many laylines intersected through this place. In truth, she could feel the magic coursing through the city before she event entered the dome proper. It was second only to the Rock of Eternity itself when it came to the abundance of arcane power she was feeling. ”Wow, you’ve got to have enough power flowing through here to cast nearly any spell!”
She was quite thankful that she had gone to Mr. Luneburg before visiting this place. At least now she could talk magic a little. She knew the basics of channeling, and how magic was formed into spells, so she hopefully wouldn’t come across like a total retard.
”With all these laylines, it’s no wonder you guys know a ton about magic. Even before I became the Wizard, there must’ve been enough magic here to pull off some interesting tricks, she noted. It was really crazy, in truth. On the surface, she’d heard that mages had to really strangle the laylines to get their spells to work prior to her inheriting the Rock, and even then the effects were relatively small.
Orin nodded as he examined the map with Lady Arcana. Though he knew each line and intersection by heart, he still loved to see the interactions. ”These laylines and the incredibly magical energy here are what gave our ancestors an advantage over any other civilization thousands of years ago. Actually, we had our own Wizard once as well, I think he was the just before the last one if our histories are right. Of course, we could also see the waxing and waning of the laylines with the comings and goings of the Wizards as well, and so our ancestors also turned to technology as a backup. That’s really all that saved us after the meteor hit, the dome above us kept the water out without the need of magic, until we could develop spells to help us adapt. And of course, with the dried up laylines until your appointment, we’ve had to rely on technological means to stay safe. Though we have been experimenting some with magitech, though nothing so heinous as we saw in the desert.” Orin said darkly, remembering the devastation of that night.
”Of course, I didn’t invite you here simply to discuss history, there’s a whole city and the reefs beyond to see; everything from the palace to the sanctuary, the seed and animal vaults, and I would like to show you our magical artifacts as well; such as the tridents I carried with me when we first met. Where to first?” Orin asked with a friendly smile, gesturing to the city again.
Lady Arcana looked a little overwhelmed, in truth. He was basically offering to show her an entire city, and all of it sounded really amazing! Still, if there was one thing about her that was true whether it was on the surface or beneath the ocean, it was that she absolutely loved animals! ”I guess the seed and animal vaults!”
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Some time later, the Atlantean prince concluded their tour in the vaults. The pair had first gone through the seed vaults, a place to store and display rare and exotic undersea plants. The facility also help samples of every plant in the ocean, as well as living specimens of every type of coral as well, just in case some terrible epidemic rendered the seas incapable of supporting that life anymore. There were many incredible specimens in the vault, many of which had likely never been seen by any human outside of Atlantis until now.
Orin then took his guest to the animal vault, an expansive quarantined area of the ocean and city where rare and endangered animal were kept safe. Orin had taken special care with this project, as it seemed more and more these days that species such as the blue whales or bottlenose dolphin were disappearing rapidly. With any luck, Orin’s goal was to preserve a small selection of these majestic sea creatures and hopefully rebuild populations. All too soon though, the tour had ended, and Orin led Lady Arcana back inside the dome
”I appreciate you taking such interest in my domain and our culture, Lady Arcana.” Orin said with a smile. ”It is not often I get to share my work with others. I’m very proud of this city and of my people. However, I think it’s time we got down to business. I am not wholly unaware of the events happening on the surface. I’ve seen reports of what happened in your city. I want to offer my condolences. If there is anything I can do for you, any way I could help, please ask. As King of Atlantis, I want to make sure me and my people can support the Wizard in whatever way you need.”
It had, honestly, been a mindblowing experience. This city was far and away more advanced than anything in her wildest dreams. Magic and technology working in tandem to create a paradise for everyone here. Most notably, she didn’t see one homeless or poor person during their travels through the undersea utopia...it honestly made her just a little bit jealous that she couldn’t have been born in such a wondrous place.
When King Orin began to speak of what had occurred in Hub City, she wasn’t certain as to whether he meant the fire eight months ago or Iron Eagle’s second attack in July. Either way, she couldn’t help but smile when he promised to aid her. She had always heard that royalty was uptight and snobbish, but he actually seemed really humble and kind!
”I really would appreciate that, King Orin,” Lady Arcana replied. ”I honestly wish that things up above were as nice down here. There’s...well, so many problems, you know? People without homes, starvation...all I really know how to do right now is punch bad guys in the face. I’m trying to fix that, but any help would be welcome!”
Orin nodded slowly as he listened to Lady Arcana’s impressions of his city and her vision for the world. He thought for a moment, considering that this may be the time to bring up his own questions as well.
”Lady Arcana, I must say… You may have one of the kindest hearts of anyone I’ve ever met.” He admitted, crossing his arms. ”I want to confide in you though, things down here… Well, they’re not a paradise, I don’t want you to have that impressions. We may not struggle with starvation or homelessness, but there is unrest. Most of my people are not warriors, and cannot fend for themselves out in the sea. Many feel trapped within the city here, even as advanced as it is. You wish to help the world, to make it a better place, and that is what I want for my people as well. I have a question for you of my own, one my advisors have been debating for months. However, I would trust your judgement over any of them.”
“I have been considering Atlantis’s place in the world. We have been hidden for thousands of years, nothing more than a half-remembered myth. For my whole life I have seen my people crammed into this small space, felt the waves of unrest here. I have seen the seas become polluted, witnessed giants pods and school reduced to only a few. I have built the animal vaults with my own hands to combat this, but… Could I do more if I revealed us to the surface? Could I help my people by exposing our existence? Could I help your people? Grow food and set up deep sea farms to produce cheap food? Share technology to improve quality of life? Help to bring about the regrowth of endangered animals, reduce pollution, stop the senseless hunting of whales and sharks? Or would I simply be putting my people in danger?”
“I know the sea, Lady Arcana. I know what I could offer your people. You know the surface. You know the dangers your governments could bring to bear. My question is this: Is it worth the risk? Do I expose my people in an effort to save both of ours? Or is it a fool’s errand?”
Lady Arcana stood silent, desperately trying to hide the fact that he was asking her a lot of really deep and important-sounding questions that she honestly didn’t have a single-effin’-clue how to answer. She was trying so hard to be better at her job, but this had reminded her of how she was still just a stupid kid. Should he share his technology? Should he trust the surface? Sure, feeding everyone sounded like a good idea, but at the same time she really didn’t like the idea of any of the surface government's getting their hands on this kind of technology.
Technology infused with magic!
”I…” Her voice trailed off, searching for the right words. Words that wouldn’t make her sound like the in-over-her-head brat that she was. ”I think maybe people wouldn’t be so scared if you offered them a lot of food? But maybe not technology? B-because a lot of them…most of them aren’t really ran by great people, and might do really bad things with it, you know?”
…That was the best “advice” she could offer him, and it still made her feel like a complete idiot. Damn it, pull it together Karen!.
King Orin fell silent for a moment, contemplating the advice Lady Arcana offered. It was simple enough, of course, and somewhat what he’d expected from her to be honest. But still, he had needed to hear it from her, and now he had options to consider. ”If you believe it would be safe for me to reveal Atlantis to the surface… The rest of the details can be worked out. Sanctions and embargos on technology, keeping anything dangerous of the hands of those who would abuse it; while offering aid and space to grow crops to help feed the starving and poor. And of course, cleaning up the seas and stopping illegal hunting.”
“As for your own problems, I can offer advice, aid in whatever matters you confide with me. Time with our mages, my artifacts, they layline network. You are an honored guest of Atlantis, and are welcome here whenever you please. I would just ask that you give me a call before showing up so I can cancel my meetings.” Orin said with a wry smile.
Lady Arcana’s shoulders relaxed, a gentle sigh escaping her as he accepted her rather simplistic advice. When he began to speak of his plans for interacting with the surface, she simply nodded her head in silence. Good for you, King Orin. He almost certainly knew how to handle this way better than she could ever hope to. At least, not without a few years of study.
And then she perked up slightly at his offer to allow her to study magic here. ”Really?! I-yes! Thank you! That would mean a ton to me if you would! I would never pass up the chance to learn more about magic in an amazing place like this!”
Okay, so this trip turned out to be a really great idea after all! She was glad she went through with it, even if she was a little out of her depth.
Heh.
