Volasis

Ria felt uncomfortable as she stood in the long line of people that wanted to enter Volasis.

She heard laughing and crying children, people muttering prayers to the Elemental Avatar of Water. Others shouted that they should throw these forsaken Elemental Avatars into the next volcano, hoping that that would end their existence.

It was a cacophony of contrasts. People despairing and hoping, some friendly and helpful, others aggressive and helpful. She noticed young and old people. Every age was present.

“How can you pray to one of those damn Elemental Avatars right now?” she heard a man shout. “We wouldn’t be in this line, if it wasn’t for them!”

Ria felt like shrinking back. Her loss of control had destroyed a lot of Solstice and the magical support structure within the city. The survivors had fled to the neighboring cities.

“But our Avatar provided us with warmth and light. With everything we needed to survive in the dark zone. And this one provides water in the Ash Desert. We need her blessing to be able to live here,” a gentle voice answered. “We should always be thankful. Admit it: You thought you were entitled to her grace.”

“I was not!”

“Yes, you were. When was the last time you prayed and thanked her?”

Ria turned away. The argument made her feel even worse. She jumped a bit out of the line as a few children ran by her. Despite her moving, a boy almost ran into her. He did run into the next man in line, who then complained about his purse having been stolen.

She could help neither. Her own belongings had burned up with almost everything else and she had found some old clothes in the rubble left over from her outburst. But that was all. Her bare feet were covered in ash.

Most people avoided being near her and only came close, because they feared losing their place in line. Whether they avoided her because of her power leaking or whether she’d stank more than ever in her life, she didn’t know.

At least she hoped that En’rin’s collar keep her powers so far at bay that it didn’t hurt anyone. Still, she would’ve preferred to be further away from everyone. Especially since the line was quite long.

She looked at the city. Tents had been put up right next to the walls: Gray and brown fabrics covered in even more ash. It was a stark contrast to the hanging gardens on the other side of that barricade: Right in the center of the Ash Desert were tall trees that towered above the walls and embraced buildings made of stone. She could even see the central castle that looked like a large fountain that stood in the city’s center. It kept spraying water all over the city. Above it was the only place where the gray volcanic clouds were disrupted by white mist that rose high into the air and painted the otherwise dark sky with shades of white. It looked like an oasis in a land that could’ve been home to a demon king in a fantasy novel.

“Hey.”

Ria barely heard the voice until the man became far more insistent, and repeated it a few times.

“Hey! I am talking to you! Are you alone?” Someone grabbed her arm.

Startled, she looked at the man and saw him burning right in front of her. She immediately tried to get out of his grip.

“Answer me! Are you alone?!” His loud voice broke through her vision and the flames vanished.

She looked at a burly man, who seemed to have muscles on his muscle. His hair had fled, either replaced by more muscle or maybe she had accidentally burned it without him even noticing. His linen trousers had been grayed by the volcanic ash that gave this place its name. At least his shirt was noticeably whiter. Two bracelets covered the wrists of his otherwise bare arms.

“You are alone, aren’t you?” He grinned. “How about I’ll take you in? A cute mage like you will fetch a great price.”

“I don’t get what you’re talking about, but you should let go,” she said and tried to pull away.

She noticed, how some of the people in the line looked at her. Most shrugged and looked away.

“Y-You should really let go,” she told him. Panic rose within her as her control began to slip.

“Don’t be afraid. We’ll take care of you and find you a nice new home …” The way he said those words gave her goosebumps. Some of her control slipped.

You need to keep control of your power at all times, En’rin had told her. Even when emotions and feelings occupy your mind. Don’t forget that you can solve some of those problems with a controlled burst of power.

Her mentor must have meant situations like these. “Let go,” she insisted, and reigned her power back in. Instead she concentrated on her arm and allowed her power to escape there.

“Don’t try anything you might regret.” There was a dangerous tone to the man’s whisper.

Ria looked at him and allowed even more of her power to burst through her arm. The man flinched and finally let go.

“You think having some power will be enough?” He grabbed the bracelet on his wrist. “Release Mana Block.” Both his eyes flashed and glowed deep red. Then he grabbed her again. His grip was a lot harder this time.

The people in the line seemed to notice that something was wrong. They moved further away from them.

Ria allowed her power to burst again. First it just tingled on her skin, then it broke through. Steam rose from his his hand, clearly burning it, but he kept holding onto her, his grip tightening even more. She looked up and calmed somewhat. The man wouldn’t be hurt too badly, if he could hold onto her like this. “I advise you to let go.” Her voice was calm while her power started to flow. She felt the familiar warmth that reached her eyes as she stopped holding her power back.

“So you do have enough power for your eyes to turn red?” He grinned. “You’ll fetch a really good price! Release second Mana Block!” The glow in his eyes turned orange. His grip tightened even more and became painful.

Ria closed her eyes and exhaled. Then she let go of the rest of her control. When she opened her eyes again, he looked at her with wide eyes. “You can even go orange?” He didn’t let go, but called behind him. “Hey, Xav, I need your help with this one!”

“What is it, Hoss?” A rather slim man came out of the crowd. He had black hair, orange glowing eyes, and wore an ash-discolored blue overall. He had both hands in his pockets.

“I’ve got an orange one.” The man that held onto her didn’t look away.

“Great!” Xav, pulled his hands out of his pockets. He wore the same bracelets as Hoss. His smile grew wider as he came closer. “I see what you mean. She’s got a pretty fierce aura. Poor control.”

Ria looked past him at the retreating crowd. Were they far enough away?

“Yeah. I’m pretty sure, she’s blasting us with all her power already!” The bald man grinned.

“You should stop with that, girl. You’re going to drain all your power in no time like that.” Xav walked next to Hoss. “Total Brain Drain isn’t fun. Trust me. I’ve seen Hoss do that.”

“Hey!”

Ria looked from the crowd back to the two stooges. “Last warning: Let go.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Xav smirked. “Or you’ll do what, exactly?”

“Lift Restriction Level Four,” was her answer. While her collar activated, she looked them straight in the eyes. She knew, that her eye color would change once more. That her aura would become even stronger. Thin strands of smoke rose into the air, coming from her clothes and the ash she was standing on.

Xav and Hoss hesitated. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” The thin man made a few steps back.

“Someone like you shouldn’t be in this damn line! What are you doing here?!” Hoss squinted at her, then let go. He shook his hands. They sported a deep, angry red. They were clearly burned.

“It’s a trap! She’s an Inquisitor! Don’t let them get you!” Xav turned around and ran.

“Yes, run,” Ria hissed, wanting to get rid of them both. Before her power could hurt anyone.

Hoss hesitated a moment longer, then ran as well.

Ria reigned her power back in once they were far enough away. Then she gave another command to her control collar: “Reestablish Restriction Level Four.” The damage was done. The people in the line stared at her. And when she looked at the line closer to the city, she saw Xav and Hoss make even more people run away, either pulling other people with them or letting them go. Were there people abducting some of those waiting in line? Had she interrupted their operation?

Ria frowned. But she couldn’t help them. If she used all of her power, she’d do far more damage.

When she tried to rejoin the line, the people kept away from her. Even more than before. She heard whispers about her being a Mage Inquisitor. The people keeping away from her made things easier for her. She didn’t have to worry as much about hurting them accidentally.

Despite all that, the line kept moving very slowly and she thought she saw even more tents popping up around the city. She’d probably have to spend another night outside the city and in the warm volcanic ash.

After taking weeks to get to the city, it didn’t bother her anymore. Another night outside wouldn’t matter.

It didn’t change the fact that she craved a bath and some clean clothes. At least the ash masked most of the bodily odors of everyone waiting in line. It would’ve been torture otherwise.

Time passed and nothing interesting happened for a long time until the line closer to the city started to part. It was as if someone important made their way through the crowd. Ria had seen that happening often enough in Solstice. Apparently they didn’t want to walk into the ash-covered fields next to the road.

She took a place in the fields, waiting for them to pass. The rest of the line took the other side of the road.

Ria did catch a glimpse of the people coming through though: An elf in mostly white clothes lead the party. Blue decorations covered the sleeves of his garments, the sash around his waist, and the hem of his dress. The glasses on his nose made him look like a typical scholar. Behind him were more people in similar clothes: A dwarf, a human, a dwelf and a lizz. They were a little less decorated, but seemed to be similarly important. They all wore collars around their necks.

Ria was surprised, when they stopped before her. “Mage Inquisitor.” The elf nodded toward her. His words sounded partly like a casual greeting and partly like a question.

She looked around and pointed at herself when the group didn’t move. “I’m not a Mage Inquisitor,” she replied. “I’ve come to Volasis because I need to learn to control my … magic.”

The delegation looked at her for a long time, and the men next to the elf whispered into his ear. He even crouched down to hear the dwarf’s opinion.

“My apologies.” The elf nodded once more. “President Nepp Thun heard that a Mage Inquisitor was on their way to the city and hoped that they’d listen to his request. Still, I was told that you have quite a bit of power?”

Ria sighed. “If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t need to learn to control it.”

The elf closed his eyes and nodded once more. “That does make sense. Thank you for confirming that rumor.” He looked back up. “Allow me to introduce us. We’re a delegation from the Waters of Wisdom. My name is Elan’drin and these are my colleagues: Auron, Michael, Or’rin and Lithzy.” He indicated the dwarf, the human, the dwelf and the lizz.

“I’m Ria …” She stopped and left the rest unsaid. Some people in the line already resented her for what happened in Solstice. They didn’t need to know, who she really was.

“Welcome, Ria. Even though you’re not an Inquisitor, you might still be able to help us. In return we’re willing to help you with your little control problem.”

Ria thought for a moment. She knew how these transactions worked normally and since she had no money or crystals herself, she needed something else to get the help she needed. She could sell her power, and this arrangement sounded exactly like that. “I accept.”

“It is agreed then. Please, come with us.” He stepped aside and waited for her to move.

Ria shook her head. “Please go ahead. I don’t want to get too close to anyone.”

The elf raised an eyebrow. “You fear losing control that much?”

She nodded in answer.

“At the moment it seems to me that your control is good enough and that your collar is dissipating your power safely. But if you believe that caution is necessary …” He turned to his companions. “Please return before us.”

All four nodded, first to him, then to her. After that they turned around and took the same way they had taken to get to her. The crowd parted for them once more.

The elf got a bit closer and a bubble of water formed around them. “This will make sure that you won’t harm anyone,” he promised. “And it will allow us to talk a bit more in private.”

The magic the elf used reminded her of En’rin. She missed the old dwelf.

“You’re the Elemental Avatar of Solstice, aren’t you?” he asked once the bubble had fully formed.

“Yes.” She didn’t say any more as she followed him through the crowd.

“Would you please enlighten me as to what happened to your city? And as to what has become of my son En’rin?”

So Elan’drin was her mentor’s father? Maybe the dwelf had wanted her to go to Volasis because of that. “The city is gone.” She answered. “And En’rin is, too.”

He walked silently as they passed the people. Most wore rags, too, many even worse than she herself. Others wore leather armor and had old, beaten up swords strapped to their sides. She also saw some that wore collars like hers and Elan’drins and others that had bracelets like those of Xav and Hoss.

“How did that happened?” He asked after a while.

Ria didn’t answer immediately. She still blamed herself, her lack of control. “My control collar broke. One moment it was there, the next it melted and evaporated.”

The elf looked at her, but didn’t stop walking. “That is concerning. How did you get a new collar?”

Ria reached to the cold metal around her neck. “This has been En’rin’s last present to me.”

“Then he managed to finish it.” Elan’drin exhaled. “From what he told me, it should hold. But we will work on your control, just in case.”

“I just don’t understand how this could’ve happened. I have seen no single human has this much power. That could melt these collars.”

“Correct. No single human,” was all he said.

“Then what am I?” She was neither lizz, nor elf or dwarf. She also was no felana, canis or vulpis. And neither of those had ever been recorded being this powerful,

“Right now, you’re a human.” The elf slowed down slightly, walking next to her. “But as an Elemental Avatar, that is the wrong question.”

Ria grimaced. “Then … What was I?” She remembered suddenly waking up in a big square room with a collar around her neck.

“That is the correct question, but I’m afraid that I can’t give you an answer to it. En’rin never told me. Perhaps he wasn’t allowed to. He did mention that summoning someone like you was a folly. Have you ever thought about the reason you’re called an Elemental Avatar?”

“Then … I’m some sort of living fire?” She stopped for a moment and allowed him to increase the gap between them once more.

“Maybe you were, maybe you were not. I can’t tell. But you probably are some kind of primal force given a human body. And that means you’re a human in need of help.” He turned around and waited for her to start walking again.

Ria didn’t answer. Maybe they should’ve left her where she was before. There she wouldn’t have hurt anyone. But in this body, she was like a dragon of legend. And she would hurt people with her mere presence. In contrast to the dragon, she wasn’t content to spend the rest of her life alone though.

As they approached the city, she noticed all the resentful looks of the people still waiting in line. If she had to guess by how much the line had moved this day and the last, many of them had been here for several days, if not weeks. And she was skipping the line.

“Why aren’t you letting these people in?” she asked.

“We are letting them in. But we have to do it slowly, since our city has only so many resources.” He frowned for a moment. “And those resources are dwindling far more quickly than we would’ve liked. Letting all these people enter would exacerbate the problem and lead to unrest.”

Ria nodded slowly. “Is there anything I can do?”

“We’ll have to see, whether your skills or powers can be useful to us.”

The water bubble dissolved as they approached the city wall. Two guards stood in front of the gate. Both men wore leather armor and had a sharp looking short sword strapped to their sides. One wore blue ornaments on a collar around his neck. Both hit their chest with the edge of their right open hand. “Ocean of Wisdom,” said the man with the ornamented collar.

“Be as you were.” The elf nodded at him. “Ria here will be attending the academy. She’s an official guest of Volasis.”

“Understood.” The man repeated the strange greeting once more and the elf simply nodded.

Ria looked back at the line for a moment. The stared got even worse. She felt a shiver run down her spine and quickly crossed through the thick wall made of dark gray stone. It reminded her of frozen magma.

As they emerged on the other side, the elf turned to her with a half-smile. “Welcome to Volasis!”