Berethian was a world of mountains, and was mostly known as a backwater mining planet with little to offer other than occasional passage to other planets closer to the Clocktower. It was always barren, it was always cold, it was always empty. The draconic apocalypse had done little to change it. The mountains were already littered with metal, as crashes were a common sight due to how tightly packed the mining towns were. This was, however, the first time anyone on Berethian had tried to crash intentionally.
A sonic boom sounded overhead as Arthur and Paladin’s ship came out of lightspeed. The right wing was entirely consumed by bronze metal, whirring gears clanging against the frame. On top of the noise, it made the ship far heavier on one end, forcing Arthur to keep turning to the left to keep it on target. This quickly resulted in the ship hurtling towards the mountain ranges, spinning rapidly.
“I’m going to crash into a mountain!” Arthur said. “If we knock the wing off, we can keep flying the ship without the rot.”
“Of course,” Paladin said. “I trust your judgement.”
As they got closer to the peaks, Arthur swung the ship closer. However, he still wasn’t used to how the corrupted ship was weighted. The ship’s whole slide slammed into the mountain, destroying the right wing as intended, but piercing the side of the hull, sending the ship into a tailspin. Warning lights bombarded the two of them as systems died and the altitude dropped. Arthur tried his best to regain any sense of control. Paladin looked out of the window.
“There seems to be a small town down there,” he explained calmly. “Try to set us down.”
“How?!” Arthur shouted over the warning sirens. “I can’t control it!”
“I said try, squire. I do not expect you to manage it, but it might barely save us.”
Arthur did as he was told, flicking levers and trying to activate the landing jets. The ship steddied itself, but it was still rapidly approaching the ground.
“Brace!” Arthur shouted.
The ship crashed into a clearing at the base of one of the mountains, the landing jets helping soften the impact but not stopping it entirely. It skidded across the ground, throwing up snow and mud before slamming into a rock wall, crushing the left wing as it did. Arthur panted, knowing they were safe but still dealing with adrenaline coursing through his veins.
“You ok?” Arthur said.
“I’ve had worse landings,” Paladin said. He immediately opened up the large cockpit, letting them both climb free, and cast his light spell so they could see again. Immediately checking the right wing, Arthur noticed that there was still a little bit of bronze and a single gear onto the hull.
“Shit,” he muttered, before turning to Paladin. “We eat what we can’t carry. Then we move. We can’t stay here long. Where did you see that town?”
“Maybe a mile to the east. Give me a higher vantage point and I might be able to see it.”
“Alright, let’s get moving.”
Arthur and Paladin immediately got all of their supplies out of the ship and well away from the rot. As Arthur ate, Paladin re-equipped his armor and clambered up on top of the ship.
“I see it!” He said. “I will lead the way there.”
Arthur nodded, swallowing his food before speaking. “Good. I think it might be obvious, but we’re gonna need a new ship. Hopefully we’ll find the diary entry sooner rather than later.”
“You fully trust that it’ll be there?”
“Completely. Now, eat up and let’s go.”
“I’d rather n-“
“C’mon, man. I’ve seen your face now, you don’t have to keep hiding it. Why did you do that, anyway? Trying to be all mysterious?”
“Not at all.” Paladin’s voice trailed off as he realised he had no explanation for his actions. Arthur laughed.
“No point doing that now. You’ve lost the cloak as well. I’ll admit, it suited you.”
Paladin stepped off the ship and walked over to Arthur, removing his helmet and picking up a can of beans. He tore it open with his bare hands and began to eat.
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“I’m not going to be casting my light until we arrive at the town,” Paladin said between mouthfuls. “I want you to cast yours.”
Arthur nodded, pulling the gem out of his pocket. “Alright. I’ll give it a shot. Sorry if I take a minute, I haven’t had much time to practice.”
Arthur put down his can and reached out, feeling the gem connecting him to the universe. He brushed against that strange, physical object that rested in the dark, but eventually found what he was looking for. He opened his eyes to find a small orb of fire in his hand, and another burn across his palm.
“C’mon,” he muttered. “I only just healed the last one. Also, how am I meant to move you?”
“Put it in your lantern,” Paladin suggested. “I’m ready to go forth whenever you are.”
/////
Even if it was just as desolate as Karrus, Berethian’s terrain made for a welcome change from the flat, empty fields of the farming world. It was a constant downhill from the ship to the town, the both of them jumping between rocks and frozen streams, even seeing the occasional dead tree whose bark hadn’t been consumed yet.
Arthur was far more graceful than Paladin was, especially seeing he was wearing clothing designed for more than just combat. He had no issue with the terrain, while Paladin did his best not to stumble and fall over the rocks, using his sword to help him drop down taller cliff faces.
The only thing slowing Arthur down was the light. Keeping it up was more effort than he realised, and it was weaker than Paladin’s, even if he appreciated the warmth. Once he instinctively put the gem in his pocket, making the light go out and leaving them in total darkness. He couldn’t see Paladin’s expression beneath the helmet, but he knew he was smiling.
The town wasn’t too far away, at least in comparison to the massive treks Arthur was used to. Half a day of walking brought them to a small mining town. Unlike the planned communities of Karrus, the town was haphazardly designed, some houses partially built into a cliffside, and small roads that twisted and turned randomly. The buildings were as cold as the ones on Karrus and generally small, the mining companies behind Berethian’s development clearly not caring much for the labourers. The only part of soul in the whole thing was the shattered remnants of a market in the central square, stalls collapsed, broken and buried under snow.
“We’re not sleeping under the stars tonight,” Arthur said. “Go get some rest. I’m going to explore the town a little more.”
“Are you sure?” Paladin asked. “You look tired.”
“I’ll be fine. Spend long enough in places with no day-night cycle, you kinda just end up sleeping whenever.” He handed his pack over to Paladin. “Sorry if a squire isn’t meant to do this, but I really don’t care for that.”
Paladin chuckled, taking the pack. “I’ll let you off this once. I’ve already found a house I like the look of. I will cast my light so you can find it. I’ll meet you back there soon.”
Paladin walked out of the square and towards the edges of the town. Arthur walked the other way, towards the cliff that was pockmarked with windows and doors. This was likely where the vast majority of people would have lived. In fact, with access to the mines, they would have been able to hole up against the threat of the dragons, and the Clockwork Rot hadn’t reached the town yet. For the first time in his journey, Arthur was somewhat surprised at this town being dead.
“Where the hell are you?” Arthur muttered. He walked along the doors on the cliffside, glancing into houses to find food, but finding nothing. Eventually, he found a door rather different from the others. It was a large, arched door, covered in warning signs. The metal was starting to corrode, with chainlinks across the handles. Arthur pushed on it, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Great time to get rid of my pack,” he muttered. “But…I can produce fire now…”
He grabbed onto the chainlinks, closed his eyes, and tried to summon a star into his hand. He yanked his arm back as he felt the chains become white hot, melting and boring its way through the snow. Arthur laughed, and pulled the rest of the chain free, allowing him to push the massive door open.
All he saw was a tunnel, stretching off into the dark. It wasn’t attached to the houses nearby. Arthur thought that it must have been the entrance to the mines. As wind blew into it for the first time since the dragons came, a small piece of paper flew out of the tunnel. Arthur grabbed it, and began to read.
Date: October 5th
Days since departure: 220
Interactions: Some unusual businessmen.
Expenditures: 5 Sel, at the local canteen.
Hiking across Berethain continues to be lovely. Public transport is becoming more scarce the further I go from the Spacehub, but it doesn’t matter much! All these forests and beautiful mountains make up for it. It’s really the complete opposite of Karrus. Karrus had lovely warm weather but the scenery was super boring. Berethian is constantly wet and cold but it all looks lovely.
I recently arrived in the town of Jamesons (nice to be back in towns with names again!). Some of the locals were nice, and I got to eat at the work canteen, for a fee of course (not like I work here). They generally laughed at my intent to reach the Clocktower, but they were interested in my stories of the universe. Some called me a privileged rich kid because I was able to do all of this (if only they knew!).
There were some odd people, though. A man with a moustache, and a woman with red glasses. They didn’t look like miners. They were quite clean and not very athletic. They said they heard about my travels, and wanted to invite me to discuss my travels further while showing me around the mines. I mean, come on, who would trust that?! I’m not an idiot! I declined, which seemed to annoy them. They still left me alone, though.
I told the miners about it, and one of them offered me free lodging, saying they don’t trust the two either, and wanted to keep an eye on me. I plan to get moving as soon as possible, with help from the miners if I can. I don’t like it here.
Arthur looked down the dark tunnel the paper had came on, going to the mines the writer had said they were avoiding.
“What the hell happened here?”
