Waves Unknown

There weren't always dragons in the Valley. Ivallena repeated the phrase in her mind, it was calming, comforting. At least it was supposed to be. It was a phrase that reminded her things had once been different, and that if they had changed once, they could change again. It was a reminder of the only certainty the universe truly provided: the promise of impermanence. However, even with all the conviction behind her affirmation, its efficacy waned every time she found herself evoking the sentiment. More often these days she found herself thinking that it didn’t matter if things would change again, if she wouldn’t be there to see it. She pushed down the negativity. She couldn’t afford to make her customers uncomfortable, not even the dreadful dragons. And so, she lightly tapped her flush green cheeks, let out a deep exhalation, and put on her most welcoming smile.

She gracefully moved between the busy tables. It was lively today. Halflings, gnomes, and orcs alike all shared in the revel. After a few days of peace, the townsfolk all collectively engaged in a celebration of life itself. Eating, and drinking, and laughing, and singing, it became easy to forget the usual dread of living on the edge of the Valley. That was not the case for her. If the others noticed, they never brought it up, but she had not felt a true moment of joy since the decree 16 years ago. Even so, every day she continued to serve her customers with a smile that, according to many, rivaled the sun.

That smile broke when she saw the scene unfolding at the far end of the tavern. A dragon was holding their rifle, a single arm, clad in opalescent orange armor, raised perpendicular to the torso, in a pose that was simultaneously imposing yet relaxed. Dragons had that effect. When armored, they commanded an aura of control and nonchalance. A confidence that came from the knowledge that nothing could ever touch you. The figure occupied the entire space, floor to ceiling, like a totemic embodiment of fire. Shimmering under the electric light of the chandeliers, a monolithic mass of orange crystal surrounded the person beneath. As if it was the most natural thing in the world, the dragon gripped their gun, pointing it straight at a young man standing just a few meters away. Rifle was more a practical term, to an onlooker those things were less a tool of war and more an incarnation of terror. They were massive pieces of intricately carved crystal, matching their armor as if they had come from the same gemstone. Perhaps the silhouette would be reminiscent of a firearm, but at their scale, almost as big as a dragon was tall, they rivaled the cannons on a ship. A dragon’s rifle was said to be able to fire a beam that tore the skies as far as the eye could see, as long as the person wielding it held enough prana. And now, this dragon stood ready to fire that dreadful weapon inside her Waves Unknown.

“No-” even that singular syllable failed to escape her lips before the massive armored soldier took the shot. A deafening howl, like wind made restless by a storm, filled the room.

Then silence.

All eyes were on the gemstone colossus. A single thread of light ripped through the air, zigzagging like lightning from the barrel of the gun to the young man’s head. It connected with the peach he was balancing on top of it. Stiff, nervous, but clearly joyous, he let out a cheeky laugh. The thread of light disconnected and a second later the stone fruit exploded in a rain of warm pulp. The man underneath did a little jump in the air as he continued to giggle. “That was insane!” he exclaimed. The rifle folded itself as the dragon attached it to the back of their armor, which reconfigured to accept it. The dome that covered their head retracted. The person inside turned to look at Ivallena. “I must apologize for the mess Ma'am. If necessary, one of my assistants will clean it.” Ivallena froze. It was an aelf. Underneath the layers of magical gemstone there had been an aelf. That in itself wasn’t surprising. Most officers in the Imperial Air Force were aelfs. But this woman, it couldn’t possibly be. Ivallena almost collapsed. Her face now betrayed a deep shock.

The aelf woman looked at her sincerely concerned. Her deep, raspy voice took an even more apologetic tone. “Truly, I’m sorry for the scene as well. I didn’t mean to cause such a commotion, I just meant to demonstrate to my squad how with enough control one can learn to be delicate with the full-'' She stopped herself, looking down in shame. Ivallena steeled herself. She straightened her face into a polite smile and declared, “we do not allow military equipment inside Waves Unknown. There are racks outside where you can place your gear.” The aelf brought a hand to her chest and bowed slightly. “Of course,” she agreed. “I’ll make sure everyone under my command is aware of that.” She made a gesture at her companions, who all stood at attention and followed her as she left through the front door, gracefully bending forward to fit beneath the frame.

Ivallena sat down at the nearest chair, letting her staff handle the rest of the day’s duties. Not that there was a lot to do. The tavern never regained its previous energy. It wasn’t immediate but after a while most of the patrons had left. Normally, when people needed to blow off steam, she ended up having to kick them out late at night. Today she even dismissed her servers early.

She had sat there alone for what felt like hours now. When she first opened Waves Unknown 20 years ago it had been a book cafe. Back then it had been her dream to provide the town with aspirations. Bringing books from all over the known world would give the people of Deep River Valley dreams they had never had before. The books were still there, the people didn’t read them anymore. When the war started her role in the town changed. Many fled, she could not. Back then her wife, Camira, had negotiated a deal with Commander Hermault. He had been assigned to oversee the new military base in the Valley. Waves Unknown had become a contracted distribution center. The Armada would ensure supplies were delivered to the cafe, the staff was compensated as part of the military budget, and they would make sure to keep the town and the soldiers in high spirits. It had actually been great for morale. It had not been great for Ivallena. With the years she saw her precious book cafe turn into a tavern at the demand of her new patrons. They expanded into adjacent buildings to better provide service to everyone who needed it. And she had to manage all of it alone.

Raids were uncommon. After all, The Empire were the aggressors in this war. However, one had been enough. After two years, the people of Deep River Valley had grown used to the sight of dragons launching into the air from their base, flying off to fight border skirmishes in the wilderness. Sometimes they could hear the thunderous roar of their rifles, but the war still felt distant. That day, they finally realized the truth. The war was already there.

Ivallena had never spoken up about it, no one had dared say anything. After all, the dragons were supposed to be their protectors. They were even named after the majestic beasts of legend. But that day they were not majestic. The dragons fought the monsters of the enemy on the streets. They were holding back invaders, they were heroes, at least in theory. But in their rage and their carnage they tore through the town indiscriminately. In Ivallena’s eyes, the dragons had done more damage and taken more lives than the enemy forces. The brutality of their tactics and the power of their weapons were unkind, unforgiving, unloving. Many things were taken that day, her wife had been one of them.

The Waves Unknown she sat in was different from the one she had opened with Camira. The building had been rebuilt. The menu had changed. The staff had long since been replaced. And most importantly, her wife had never been here. This new yet old place was Ivallena’s alone.

The squeal of the door snapped her from her thoughts. She assumed it must have been one of her waiters, coming back to check in on her. “I’m fine,” she said, turning to the entrance. “I’m glad to hear that.” The voice that came from the door was so painfully familiar. She knew what she would see before her eyes could make sense of it. She was there, the dragon that had shot that rifle earlier in the day. This time she had left her armor behind. She was shorter than Ivallena, she was not surprised. She knew she would be. The aelf woman calmly made her way to her. “I had in mind the excuse of needing a drink, but since it doesn’t seem like you’re open I’ll just be honest. I came to make sure you were doing okay.” She said, taking a seat next to her. Ivallena looked into her eyes. She saw that face she could never possibly forget. The face that had stared down at her from inside the monstrous crystal armor just earlier that day. It was the face of Camira.