Nerena Corvantis
After getting away from the phantom echo and behemoths, I traversed the jungle from a higher vantage point while my drone traveled ahead and above me.
Even though I was proficient in the water, I wasn't going to take my chances with any behemoths that may have lurked in its depths.
But as I swung from branch to branch, I noticed from the drone feedback on my tablet that bolts of lightning were streaking high above the tree line.
That has to be Sora.
I commanded my drone to accelerate and find the source of the lightning while I maneuvered through the jungle's flora.
When I approached the source of the lightning, I saw Sora surrounded by the same flat, insect-like creatures that attacked me originally.
She was handling herself well, thanks to the elemental advantage of her lightning over the water.
"Sora, up here!" I sprouted my astral tentacles, hoping she could spot them and trace the sound of my voice back to my location.
In the midst of dodging a behemoth and striking its underbelly with a fist of lightning, she caught wind of my location.
It would have been so much easier to communicate if we actually had Jace here using his tether arts.
Sora then conjured a massive ball of lightning in her hands. The crackling sounded like a frenzy of snakes hissing in warning before she slammed the attack into the swamp beneath her.
The behemoths wailed in pain, giving her a brief moment to escape upwards toward me and my drone.
As she climbed up, a few behemoths fought through the pain and tried to climb up and chase after her.
I shot a blob of ink down into the swamp. I couldn't morph it into the shape I wanted, but it provided cover for us to get out of sight.
Sora and I climbed to the top of the world tree to gather our breath.
"I'm glad I trusted you to find me," Sora said, lying back against the thick branch.
"Have you got any leads on anyone else?" She asked.
"Not yet, I actually haven't had the opportunity. I was escaping my own run-in when I saw your bolt of lightning."
"Ok, I see."
"Who do you think we should set out to find next because I don't have much energy left in my drone?"
Sora sat up, her face looking deep in thought.
"We should find Voen. We are bound to sustain injuries we have no way to cure or care for. He also would have knowledge of the plant life around here as well."
"Ok, but how would we find them, and what about Cyrus and Simon?"
Sora paused again.
"Does your drone have a microphone on it?"
"Yes, it does."
"Change it so that it only picks up the frequency that a flute would make."
I nodded.
"As far as the others. We will just have to hope they're safe," Sora continued.
I adjusted the setting on my drone and sent it out into the jungle.
The microphone on my drone pinged like sonar as it flew through the tangled growth. It took about two minutes before we got our first match.
It was nearly a mile away.
When I switched to the visual feed, I saw an out-of-breath boy with pale skin, black hair, and sharp green eyes, trying his best to fend off a pack of behemoths.
"Sora, I found him!" I said, my astral tentacles sprouting from my back.
"Alright, let's go get him."
Sora and I made a beeline to Voen's location, darting from branch to branch above the murky swamp.
We arrived in minutes, and we were just in time to swoop down and rescue him from the jungle claiming his life.
"You know this really reminds me of old times," Voen said, his voice hoarse as we rested on top of a canopy of branches and leaves.
I could never understand why he found the need to joke in moments where nothing was funny.
Sora sighed.
"We are glad you're safe too, bud. But have you seen or heard anyone else in the rift?" Sora asked.
"Seen? No, not a single soul, but I've heard the growls of a hungry jungle. Sounds that would make your skin crawl." Voen said, his face growing more pale.
No one spoke for a while.
Then Sora turned to me.
"Nerena, did your drone manage to gather any other data on the jungle?"
I handed her the virtual map I've been compiling.
She studied it with a deep intensity.
"Thank you for your work, Nerena. But what exactly do you think those pyramids are for?"
"Based on my studies, these are ancient structures built on the continent of Elyria. Towns and villages generally surrounded them."
Sora nodded, deep in thought.
"Ok, we'll head to the central pyramid. It's the closest, and every major body of water seems to lead to it. Based on what you have told me, I'd bet the other Truth Seekers reached the same conclusion and are leading their teams there as well. That gives us the best chance of regrouping with the others from the academy."
"What about the others from our cluster? Shouldn't we find Simon and Cyrus before we head to the Pyramid?" Voen asked.
Sora looked at me.
"Nerena drones are out of power, so searching for them would mean wandering through the jungle blindly and putting ourselves in even more danger. I chose to find you over them because you over them because you are vital to our survival."
Voen's face crickled.
"But what about the asterisms and the rift radiation? We have seen the damage they can do. We would be running blind again."
Sora grimaced at his response.
They both were right. Each position provided benefits. But in our current situation, I understood Sora's decision.
An astronomer couldn't stop the asterism or radiation from happening, just navigate it better. But a vitalist could reverse any harm we may receive here in this jungle. Making it a clear priority, he was also much closer to us than anyone else in our cluster.
Sora looked between Voen and me for a long moment, as if carefully considering her next words.
"We are just gonna have to hope to the high pantheons we get lucky then."