The Starlight Lancer

Chapter 132: Homeland

"If I never return to this world again, it will be too soon."

—Former Chidron of Diraxus Venti Ulurau

It didn't take long for Kazlo to figure out what was wrong with Zaina and Baeus's ship. Surprisingly, Reida had told the truth—the restrictor disconnecting had made its systems crash. With the help of his glyph Kazlo had the issue resolved in less than an hour.

By that time they were finishing their last void skip to Diraxus. Zaina was beginning to feel a little drained after spending so much of her day on a ship—she'd never been to so many worlds in a single day before.

They approached a continent on the world's southern hemisphere, a beautiful swirl of blues and greens with sparse mountains poking through the dense, low-laying clouds. Apparently, these coordinates were located within Gir's hometown of Rafol. To be honest, that made Zaina a bit nervous. She hoped his family was as nice as he was.

Kazlo was pale, and hadn't said a spare word since they'd embarked to Diraxus. He was fiddling with a glyph in the corner. Baeus was a bit more focused after spending time with Reida. Maybe he'd grown more wise to her nature, too.

Zaina clutched a still low-powered Gizmo. Don't worry, buddy. Once we find out what Gir thought was so important you'll be back to your old self.

The ship landed with little fanfare. Reida's voice came over the speaker. "I'll be down in a minute. You guys go ahead."

Ominous.

Baeus was chipper in his reply. "All right. We're gonna get a head start toward the settlement, then. You know where to find it?"

"I've got it marked on my map," Reida replied curtly.

Zaina frowned. Maybe her captain had called at last. Once we get our ship off hers, we won't need her anymore. Then I can finally make my move.

Either way, she wanted to get over to Rafol with haste. The sooner they reached the coordinates the sooner they could be on their way.

The ship's bay door opened to a dull, gray sky; a thin layer of fog blanketed everything. Moisture was everywhere—water dripped from the long-leaf trees with drooping branches and the plentiful reeds and grass. The ground was comprised of shifting masses of mud bisected at every available turn by streams or pools of murky rainwater. It was much like the swamp back on Demelia. A steady shower of rain fell from the sky. Despite all the water, it was hot—the air conditioning on Zaina's armor kicked in after a few seconds.

She put her mask on just in case and departed from the ship. Her foot sunk into a shallow pool beneath a floating patch of grass, nearly spilling her over on her first step. She managed to keep her balance and hoped neither Baeus nor Kazlo would say anything.

Baeus, in his hover-bed, had no problems navigating the dense, wet swamp, simply floating above the uneven terrain. For Zaina and Kazlo, it was more miserable—Zaina held his duffel bag above her head while they walked through a forest that seemed to have been submerged at some point. They trudged through the muck and the murky water for what felt like miles.

Then, it came into view—Rafol. The town was comprised of wide wooden planks atop logs tethered by thick rope. There were three large platforms connected by three large walkways, and built around piecemeal were smaller platforms and smaller walkways forming a chaotic maze. Water flowed freely beneath the town's wooden foundations.

The three large platforms, each roughly the size of Ildegor from back home, held large buildings and marketplaces. The smaller platforms seemed to be residential areas, with wooden beds carved into logs. For some reason, Raolgrians seemed to enjoy sleeping out in the elements, though every so often there was a tent or a small cabin.