Fiana's Commute

It almost seemed to be a day just like any day. After enjoying a simple meal for lunch, Fiana left Kalman's workshop and proceeded towards the tower on foot for her shift as a terrarium caretaker. With the bag containing her tools slung over her shoulder, Fiana traveled through the gloomy alchemical district.

Different from the workshop of Kalman, tucked away in a quiet corner, the alchemical district was lined with various factories dedicated to the concoction of alchemical products that were either useful to the mages or something that could be sold outside of the city.

Darkening the sky were the alchemical fumes spewed from the factory chimneys, mixing into dark clouds of alchemical wastes which would be blown inland by the ocean breeze. All the while, muffled voices could barely be heard from within the factories where the apprentices of the alchemical arts toiled and worked their trade. On their faces, they wore masks to ward off the fumes rising from their concoctions.

Fiana proceeded through the district at a brisk pace, her eyes glazed over at the bleak scenery before her. Having been left to be raised by her relatives, Fiana walked the path of a mage so that she could be with her father, Kalman, in this city. Deep down in her heart, however, she despised the city of Lancea. Though, unlike the Demon Lord who wished only for it to burn to the ground, Fiana desired to change this city for the better. It was where her father was, after all.

Yet, well-meaning her desires were, she had no power to bring forth any meaningful change. In this city, where there existed a great disparity of power between individuals, even if Fiana could gather up hundreds or even thousands of like-minded individuals, all it would take was a single sufficiently powerful mage to wipe them all out if they so choose.

Power was necessary, this is true for anyone anywhere, but in this city, it was true especially.

As Fiana made her exit from the northern quadrant of the city and began to enter the central district, where the tower stood, she pulled out a pocketwatch. The time was but a few minutes past noon, as Fiana had expected.

Coincidentally, as she glanced at the time, she caught a reflection upon the cover of the watch, its surface polished and reflective. Within the reflection, Fiana spotted a crow sitting atop one of the factory roofs, its sharp eyes cast towards her direction.

Fiana had always possessed a keen, observant eye and with it, was able to notice even the slightest change in a subject under her scrutiny. It was why she had been assigned the job of a caretaker of the terrariums in the first place.

Glancing at the crow, Fiana thought that this was a strange place to find a bird in. With all the fumes in the air, the birds usually do not approach.

Despite what her gentle demeanor might suggest, Fiana was a wary person. Her paranoia was no less than any mage in this city.

Snapping the cover back onto the pocketwatch, Fiana proceeded into the central district with no change in pace, acting as if nothing had happened.

***

As Fiana ascended to the sixth floor via the resplendent staircase of the tower, vigilant eyes immediately turned in her direction. Atop the staircase to the sixth floor, guards were stationed to ensure that only those with authorization may proceed.

Making her way up, Fiana greeted the guards with a smile, they were the usual faces she would see on her way to work. The guards returned the greeting with smiles of their own, all the while sending their Aether towards Fiana, scanning her person with their Aether senses to find any possessions that were prohibited to be taken beyond this point. Upon finding that Fiana had nothing more than her usual tools on her, the guards eased their vigilance. Though amongst her belongings were vials made of Aethervoid glass which their Aether could not penetrate, it was not unusual for Fiana, an alchemist, to carry such things.

***

Within a vial made of Aethervoid glass with space enough for a mere ten milliliters of fluid, a body of hairy flesh began to squirm. Squeezing its way out of the narrow tube, the flesh, pushed open the glass cap that had been loosened beforehand and oozed out of the vial.

Once outside, the loose flesh began to congeal, forming into a small mouse with a crystalline spike sticking out of its side.

The mouse was an undead and the crystal spike was its behavioral matrix. After experimenting for one long week, Theodore decided to mold the crystal serving as the behavioral matrix into a spike so that it may fit into the glass vial. The mouse too, had most of its bones and organs removed so that it could shift its body to fit into the small container. Once the preparation was done, Theodore snuck the vial containing the mouse into Fiana's bag while she was busy making a meal and had her carry the little would-be thief into the tower.

As there was no way to know Fiana's location within the tower from within the vial, Theodore made it so that once movement could no longer be detected from within the bag, the behavioral matrix was set to activate the undead, setting the plan in motion.

The mouse undead, once it had squeezed itself out of the vial, began to scuffle its way out of the bag and stuck its head over the top. Using its tiny eyes, it inspected the surroundings, finding itself in what appeared to be a garden of a sort and Fiana inspecting the plants not too far away.

Taking advantage of the fact that Fiana had her attention elsewhere, the mouse jumped onto the floor and began to move.

***

End of Chapter 55

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