The Fallen City

"I walked," Thanatos says. "I have a relic that allows me to travel worlds, so that is what I've been doing. Nothing out of the ordinary."

"Run," Artemis says. "Run, fall, ground change."

Now Sebastian actually groaned, wishing he was offered a higher paycheck for the work he did for the military. Sometimes being a dog of the military just didn't pay off. He was trying his best to discover what was going on, but the answers he received continued to be unhelpful. There was no sort of connection, and a sentence or two could only convey so much information.

"Let's check out the buildings," Engel suddenly suggested, voice echoing from within his armor. "There's one only a few feet away from us. Maybe we'll find a clue to why you ended up here and what this place is."

Sebastian took one look at the ragtag group - Tottan, Bo, Thanatos, Artemis, Engel, Geist and himself - and nodded.

Spoiler

OMG LOL I FORGOT ABOUT TOTTAN WOW

Bo shrugged, and followed along, as did Tottan, trailing behind the rest of the group.

Spoiler

ACK GUYS I'M SO SORRY

Thanatos falls in behind them, next to Artemis. His hand slips into his pocket, clasping his weapon in case it needs to be used.

Artemis is very quiet, trailing after them warily. She sticks close to Thanatos despite her anger at him - at least she knows he's safe.

Spoiler

Don't worry about it, Falc!

The building was exactly as he had expected it to look, something that frustrated Sebastian to no end. He wanted to find something that stuck out. Maybe a little piece of the wall that had fallen out, or a mysterious object that had been left behind by the city's previous inhabitants. Giving the room a cursory glance revealed none of those things.

"Maybe somebody with magic made this city and that's why there's nobody," Bo theorized, thinking of someone in particular.

"It's possible," Thanatos admits. "But it seems unlikely, does it not?"

“I dunno, this entire situation seems unlikely so I'm trying to keep an open mind about it, you feel."

"Fair point," he dips his head.

"I don't believe in magic," Sebastian started, which was promptly followed by Geist giving an indignant snort. "But we have something called alchemy, and it is possibly that this city was made by it. I can show you how it works, if you want."

"Only if I get to show you how my magic works," Bo replied with a smug little grin.

Thanatos observes this interaction, curious.

"It's not magic," Sebastian countered, already rummaging through the pockets of his uniform for his chalk. It didn't take long for him to draw an alchemical circle once he did; he didn't become a state alchemist for nothing. "Alchemy is an art of science. You have a certain amount of something you start with, and you end with that same amount - the form is the only thing that changes."

He broke the piece into tiny little pieces and dropped them onto the circle.

"You think about what makes up both things, and imagine creating the final product. Then you complete the circle by placing your hands on the circle you drew, and alchemy happens." He demonstrated by doing exactly that. Bright blue light temporarily filled the room, fading to reveal an intact piece of chalk. It was a simplified explanation, but the perfect amount of information for a beginner.

He slipped the chalk back into his pocket.

"How curious," Thanatos observes. "It makes sense, then, why you cannot manipulate life with it - all you could come up with is a body without a soul at best, maybe animate or maybe not."