As Levi and Alexia walk down to the dock, he could see a mist front moving in slowly.
"Listen Alex, we need to be quick, there is a mist front closing in and Tea told us not to stay out for too long when a front comes."
Alexia was skipping and spinning around as Levi was talking.
"Ok, but first I want my two presents."
Levi hanged his head, he backed himself into a corner with this, if he only gets her one thing she will tell Tea and she would then get mad at him, if only he had practised more mobility maneuvers, but he was too focused and combat and ship work, as they entered the dock Alexia ran to a ship that was preparing to dock.
"Oli! Oli, are you there!"
"Alex, stop yelling, if he is here then he will first have to help dock the ship."
Alexia turned to face her brother.
"I don't care! Oli is here to see me, he said he would bring me treasure from a mentrak."
Levi sighed, but he understood, when he was younger he too would have been excited to get something for a mentrak, but now that he is older and knows what is on them he doesn't get his hopes up.
Mentraks, living islands made of metal. No one knows where they came from, just like how nobody knows how the sea engulfed most of the world. Finding actual land is extremely rare, but most have been picked clean of all resources and now are sold for more than most people will ever have, Most of the time it was the Tristiques that purchased the resources. There are a lot of things Levi doesn't understand, but one of the things he doesn't is how the Tristiques work. Tristiques are the floating islands where the remainder of humanity lives, they range from enough land for a small village to a full on city. The tristiques where levi lives; servenna, is decent sized, and they are well off, servenna is primarily know as a main trading point, that means that it is also a bit of everything, fishing, farming, manufacturing and most importantly ships and Veramelas; people who go out to sea to look for resources. Most don't make it, either they die or get scared and decide to do something else, that is why they are in high demand, without them most tristiques wouldn't be able to survive. As Levi was thinking about this, Alexia let out a scream.
"OLI, OLI, can you see me!"
Levi looked up and saw Oliver Jean, looking down at them both, waving.
"How have ya two been? I hope that old Bat is treating you well!"
Levi had no idea why Oli was like this towards Tea, if he remembered Oli is actually older than Tea. As the ship stopped moving, Oliver and some other shipmen jumped off holding chains.
"Levi, you want to help? You are training to become a Veramelas, aren't you?"
Levi was surprised to hear Oliver ask for his help. Most of the time, whenever Oliver was staying he would take Levi and Alexia on walks and get lost, he would refuse to ask anyone for help or even let Levi and Alexia show him the correct way. Levi remembering the time Oli almost got them lost only to be shouted at by Tea who was walking by the wall Oli thought was an alleyway to the center of the dock, when it was actually a wall to a noble.
"Sure thing."
As Oliver gave him the chains Levi turned to talk to him.
"Anything interesting?"
"Yes, I think you are going to like it."
"Is it safe? I promised Alexia that she could get two things."
"Why would you do that?"
"I had no choice. I was about to fall off a roof."
Oliver gave a laugh and shouted to the others.
"Did you guys hear that, Levi failed to jump to a roof!"
The other Veramelas burst out laughing.
"How do you expect to become a Veramelas if you can't even leap over a small gap?"
Levi wished he could have walked a way but he was holding the chains while they were secured. As the chains were secured the ramp to the ship lowered and crates, pots and boxes started to float down.
"Thanks for that Levi, apart from not being able to jump over a roof you are almost ready to become a Veramelas."
Levi scowled at Oliver, who crossed his eyes at him.
"You did that on purpose."
"What did I do?"
Oliver looked to the sky and Levi could see him trying not to laugh.
"You knew that something happened to me and so you got me in a position where I could not walk away from your ridicule."
"Oliver hit the back of Levi's head and then messed up his hair.
"You are too smart for your own good, you know that."
Oliver and Levi walked over to Alexia who was crouched by a vendor looking at flowers.
"Levi, can I have a flower?"
Levi looked at the flowers and picked on up, he noticed that the tips of the petals were discolored. Before he could answer her, Oliver spoke up.
"These flowers are under watered, if you get one it will die within 2 weeks, even if you start giving it water."
The vendor shot up and started shouting at Oliver.
"WHAT ARE YOU SAYING? HOW DARE YOU SUGGEST SUCH A THING?"
As the vendor continued to shout Levi noticed something out in the mist, as he looked at it he could see that it was two white glowing eyes. Levi started to walk towards the edge of the dock to try get a better look, as he did so he could see a massive shadow behind the eyes. Levi had never seen anything like this before, suddenly he smelt wet metal and he heard the sound of an engine. Levi stepped back, hoping it was not what he thought it was. It couldn't be, from what Oliver and what he had read, what he was seeing should not be possible.
OLIVER! IT'S A VIBRATHIN LEVIATHIN!"
As Oliver turned to see what Levi was talking about the eyes disappeared. As Levi turned around to look at the Vibrathin he could hear his heart beat, the entire dock had gone quiet.
"LEVI, GET YOUR ASS AWAY FROM THE EDGE!"
Levi looked at Oliver who now had his hand on his knife, suddenly the mist surrounding the dock dispersed and looking directly at Levi was a blackened Vibrathin Leviathan.