Raevar had appeared before us a few hours ago like a shadowy worm, and grown in scale until we were nestled right up against its belly. The island was an odd shape, stretched long and thin like an inflamed knife slash that had grown swollen and blistered.
Slick barren obsidian on the coast was pock-marked with craters and bulges, smoothed from constant exposure to miasma. At the center of the island, odd fluked spires jutted upwards as if the obsidian had liquified and geysers of it had spewed forth and solidified. Toward the edges of the miasma, igneous rock had been eroded down to fine particles, turned into fine granules of black sand. The whole place was bleak and lifeless.
Crossing the gangway was easier without a hangover. It was still daunting to walk directly over miasma. I suspected it always would be. I negotiated my way across it without tripping this time. Waiting to be one of the last to cross was smart, I could go at my leisure.
The miasma appeared darker out here. I squinted at it, concentrating for a moment on Perception. It was a different hue than back on Mesmoria, a dull cool tone with none of the usual shifting warm colors. It was harder to see through as well, more opaque.
Jumping off the plank, I made room for any other lollygaggers filing out behind me. Looming cliffs jutted up likehorns around the edges of the coast, small mountains of rocky pitch.
Drawing my shorn scarf tighter, I shivered from a sudden burst of wind. Ahead of me, everyone was fanning out around the coast, darting forward to gather Starshells each time the miasma retreated.
Dense fog was wafting in from the horizon, obstructing visibility in all directions.
I pulled on my gloves, jogging out past where everyone else was to find an area that still had an abundance of the precious shells. As a consequence of waiting so long to disembark, it took a while to find an abundant location.
Within minutes, I couldn’t make out my outstretched hand in front of my face.
Focusing on Perception the entire time was critical, since the inky shells blended in perfectly against the ebony grains of sand at the shoreline, and the disquieting fog was making it impossible to see. There weren’t any shapes moving underneath the miasma when I arrived, this was a relatively safe spot. To force myself to practice, I focused on Luck too, keeping both glyphs active as I grabbed my first Starshell.
I hefted the Starshell between my hands. It was heavier than it appeared, like there was something extra inside the shape that added weight to it. Through the gloves I couldn’t feel much of the texture, but it looked slick and oily. Squeezing it, it didn’t give at all. Sturdy.
Placing my bag a fair distance behind me from the shore, I tugged it open and tucked the first shell in.
Careful not to misjudge the distance to the edge of the miasma, I ventured out again, gathering more Starshells with each effort.
Soon, my bag was almost halfway full.
“Lisia, quickly! It’s Sarina!”
I turned, seeing Yeshar approaching. Maybe it was the isolation of being so far from Mesmoria here, or the effect of the ominous fog, but his ability to give me the creeps had multiplied.
“She fell down a cliff and hit her head. My rope isn’t long enough to reach the ledge she’s on. I need to borrow someone else’s to extend the length of mine, so I can get down to her and use Strength to pull us both back up.” The discomfort that always accompanied his presence was quickly buried under concern. “I haven’t been able to find anyone else in this pea soup.”
My wariness of Yeshar was immediate, but he was only asking to borrow rope.
A frown tugged at my lips. Two ropes would extend farther, but maybe not far enough depending on how far she’d fallen. I searched to see if anyone was nearby who might be able to come with us, but the fog veiled everything and everyone who might be nearby.
“We need help!” I shouted. “Can anyone hear me?”
A damning silence answered.
Two ropes would have to suffice.
If Sarina, or Corra, was hurt, it would be impossible to find them in this dense mist on my own. And there was no telling if they were injured, or how long they’d been trapped already.
“There’s no time,” Yeshar pressed. “Do you have rope or not?”
Worry eclipsed my mistrust. I couldn’t leave their fate in his hands. Climbing was my strength, and leaving them alone and unconscious with him was unfathomable.
I grabbed my bag of Starshells, throwing my gloves in and yanking it closed as I moved toward him. “I’m coming too, my Papa taught me some Medic service skills. Where is she?”
“This way.” He ran back the way he’d come from, disappearing into the sea of clouds. I pursued him.
“What happened?” I called, hoping he was still close enough ahead of me to hear, just beyond my line of sight.
His voice drifted back. “I don’t know, I just heard her scream and saw her tumble.”
I hurried so I wouldn’t lose him as he slipped and faded again into the shroud of fog. “Did she hit her head?”
