Formation Trip

Soon after my birthday celebration, the Formation project came to pretty much an end. Everything was linked and adjusted, but not tested. Before people could use it, they had to make some tests, and perhaps more adjustments in case things went wrong. This was no laughing matter, since lives would be at stake. Either way, we were the proud owners of a fast travel Formation, linked to all locations with such Formations available. That alone felt really great, and I've learned a lot in the process.

The project completion was a great occasion to celebrate, but in fact we had two such occasions. My little brother turned two years old, which of course meant a large party. The celebration made me take a look back at my own life. I grew up mostly alone, with my mother and a missing father. Dante had both of them, and loads of other people around. I was a bit jealous, but also happy he could grow up like that. At least he wouldn't face the same problems I faced as a kid.

Dante really enjoyed the company of others, especially since the celebration was in his name. He received gifts, toys and whatnot, as well as his favourite food. 'Hehe, usually he'd complain about something every day. Today, his face must be hurting from smiling and laughing so much'. "What made you so happy? It's your brother's birthday, not yours", Tara asked. "Shut up, can't I enjoy my brother's happiness?", I replied.

The following day, the testing phase began. Aunt Alicia really wanted to finish that, since father promised her and others a visit to Hatmandor. Of course they couldn't send anything alive, at least not at that stage. Simple objects of various sizes had to be sent, just to make sure there were no fluctuations. Once they were sure no objects got destroyed, they could send some animals. We didn't send any of our animals, but rather things they brought themselves.

We had a slimy creature, the same one my grandpa got from the Arena. There were some hornets as well and even a Taurus. They had to send a Taurus, since this would test bigger creatures or groups of people. Aunt assured me the Taurus would be the last one in the queue. That way, any potential dangers associated with the travel were minimised, though not completely removed.

When the Taurtus got sent, we had to await the results. My father worked as a messenger, since he and Frosty were the fastest around. Once he returned, the Taurus was actually with him. "Everything's fine, there should be no issues. This guy is as healthy as he was before, perhaps a bit confused since Tauruses don't usually experience such things", he said. In other words, the Formation worked and was safe for us to do. The project was over.

"The project is done. Let's go already, I'd like to get my hands on some new things", aunt Alicia urged my father. She really wanted to study those Formations at Hatmandor. "Yes! Let's go! I've been waiting for this a long time", Suly added. The other Lizards were invited too, since they were some of the best masters the North had on offer. My father collected a few other Lizards from elsewhere, so the group wasn't that small. There were fifteen Grey Lizards who'd study Formations at Hatmandor.

"Hehe, I can tell you're really excited about this. Sure, we can go now. Anna, try out the Formation if you'd like. You know how to operate it, right?", father asked. "Yes, I'll surely give it a try!", I replied. They left soon after that. "So? Who wants to check the Formation out?", I asked. "Anna, don't overdo it. The Formation is still new", my mother cautioned me, though she was like that all the time.

I grabbed Leran, who had to stay over, Dawn, uncle Ulon and of course Curly. "Since we are supposed to take Leran back home, we can go straight to the Obsidian Mountains. From there, we can visit Sedon, then…", "Anna, I told you not to overdo it. Just go to Obsidian Mountains, and take Leran to Lazar. Then come back here, understood?", my mother said. "... Alright, I get it. We will be back after taking Leran home", I promised.

"I haven't used that Formation myself. This will be an experience, hehe", Dawn said. "Well, I rarely travel, so this is a first for me as well", uncle added. "You'll like it guys. It feels weird at first, but you can get used to that with time. Anyway, let's go", Leran said. Dante wanted to go as well, but mother was against it. "Anna! I wanna go!", he shouted. "...Mom? People use these Formations, and they work. I mean, there shouldn't be any harm letting him go with us. Besides, would aunt let Leran use that, if it wasn't safe?", I tried to persuade her.

"He's still a child. At that age, he should…", "Seriously? Dad is already back, you want to keep stuff from him as well? Let him visit some places, instead of keeping him home. Come with us if you want", I interrupted her. She couldn't argue about that anymore, and decided to join us as well.

Our little group entered the Formation room shortly after that. 'Right… I have to activate this… This and this…', "Yes, it works. Now, we have to choose the destination. We have three available at this stage. Arangard, Sedon and Boltier. Since we are going to Obsidian Mountains, Arangard it is", I chose the destination, and activated the last Formation.

"Voom, voom, voom…", one Formation after the other lit up. We could all hear hums and other noises released by them. The collecting Formations worked at all times. They collected the Elements, combined them and awaited the activation of the main Formation. That was the reason we didn't have to wait long. From what Rowan told me, with the collecting Formations we had, we could use the main Formation two times a day. Of course, there was the option to feed the Elements directly, but only my father could do that. That was the part aunt Alicia worked on in secret.

Nonetheless, a while later the Formation released a beam of lights onto us. The beam came from between the ceiling and the floor, but didn't blind us. As we stood within the beam of light, I saw something emerging in front of us. "Here it comes! Get ready guys!", Leran exclaimed. What appeared inside the beam of light, was another room. Not just any room, a room at our destination, Arangard.

Suddenly, I could feel everything turning around in my stomach. Just like Leran said, the feeling wasn't pleasant. The whole experience lasted maybe a few seconds, before the beam of light disappeared, and we stood in the middle of the room we saw. We actually appeared inside the room at Obsidian Mountains. "This is unbelievable… ", I said quietly to myself. Dawn and uncle Ulon were more shocked than that. They didn't even utter a single word, that's how shocked they were.

"Stop staring at walls, let's go. There's nothing interesting here", Leran beckoned. My brother wasn't any different, he stared in shock at everything that happened. The difference was, my mother carried him around. "What do you think, Curly? We are actually someplace else. You never expected such miracles to happen in your life, eh?", I asked.

I could tell she was lost, even suspecting everything to be an illusion. Of course it wasn't, we really travelled that long distance in a blink. Once others woke up from their shock, we left the room. There were loads of guards on the way, since these Formations were not only expensive, but had access to all major cities. No one unauthorised could enter those rooms, and if they tried, bad things would happen.

The guards were there for a show, at least from what I saw at our place. The room as well as the entrance was actually littered with defensive Formations. Though things could stop people who reached the Inner Limits stage, or even render them defenceless. Perhaps those who reached the Primal Limits stage would be fine, but the chances of such a person arriving were slim.

Once we passed a series of tunnels, the surface of the Arangard greeted us. "Why don't we have a look while we're in here? Leran should know the place well, so he can be our guide", I proposed. "Sure, I can show you around. Dad's probably busy anyway", he agreed. My mother only rolled her eyes, but she no longer had a choice. 'Dante's too excited, if she refuses him that trip, I'm sure he'd be angry with her for a while'.

Arangard was indeed different. Sedon was a city, even resembling the Human towns and perhaps cities too. Arangard was located inside a large inactive volcano. The whole city had many levels, where some houses and buildings were incorporated into the walls of the volcano. Some houses were free-standing, but all of them had something in common. They were built from stones. The higher one looked the more luxurious the buildings looked.

A large palace was near the top, mostly made from a black stone. Leran told me that was Obsidian, just like the one inside our Formation room or the one inside my sword. Other houses and buildings were made from white or grey stones. The contrast of these colours really brought up the charm of the city.

The stones used weren't for show alone. They separated the city into three districts or sections. The lower district, made from grey stones. The middle district, made from white stones and the upper district, made from Obsidian. Normally, people had access to lower and middle districts only. The upper district was reserved for the Royal Lizards and officials. Of course we could go to the upper district, since my mother was an Empress.

That meant, our little group had no restrictions. We could go anywhere, of course within reason. Privacy still existed, we couldn't just walk into someone else's house. Lerna showed us the lower and middle district, which had a few interesting places. There was one thing I noticed though. Lizards really liked smithing. There were at least four smithies in both districts, and there was a large forge in the upper district.

Other than that, there were a few places for people to stay, eat or have some fun. There were no performance arenas or stages anywhere in the city, but they had plans to make one outside. Not as grand as the Sedon's Grand Stage, but something people could enjoy.

The Royal Palace was indeed big, really big. We were allowed to have a look, but they didn't show us too much. Only a few areas, some paintings of the past Royal Lizards and such. I didn't mind, and others seemed to enjoy that anyway. Dante was really elated to see those things. He pointed at everything and asked loads of questions. He was having fun, that much was clear to anyone.

We then left the upper district, and headed to the middle one. That's where uncle Lazar worked and lived. "Huh? Since you guys are here, that must mean the Formation is finished. Thanks for taking care of Leran, I'm always busy with my work", uncle thanked us. "Actually, Leran helped out a lot, so we should be thankful he came to visit us. Anyway, we already toured the city a bit. Since the Formation is up, do visit us more often, and don't overwork yourself so much", my mother replied.

We chatted with uncle for a bit, and he even asked me about my journey. I could see a surprise on his face, when I talked about some of the events. "You had quite an adventure… Hehe, just like your father. You do remind me of him a lot. Though I'd say, you're more reasonable than him. Anyway, I'm glad to hear you are doing well", he said. "It's getting late, we should be on our way home. Suly and Alicia will be busy for a little longer. I'm not sure when they'll return, but there's nothing to worry about. Just take care of Leran, and stop overworking yourself. That's an order", my mother said.

After a short farewell, we returned to the Formation room. The Lizards had a more extensive Formation compared to ours. Their collecting Formations allowed them to use that Formation five times a day. When I asked my mother about it, she had a simple explanation.

"I was paying for things with my own money, you know? Two times a day is plenty enough, and your father can activate it anytime he wants as well. Fortunately, they aren't used that much at the moment, so we don't have to wait our turn", she replied. Well, she had a point there.

The Formation took a bit longer to activate and send us back, but it was the first Formation of that sort ever created. Ours was a bit more… up to date. Once we appeared inside our Formation room, mother reminded me not to slack off. 'She always says that, but spoils Dante a lot…', "Yes, yes. I remember. It's late anyway, we should get some rest. Look, even Dante fell asleep", I replied after leaving the room.