One tree stood out from the rest of this vast, oaken forest. It wasn’t nearly as tall as some of the other trees, but it was much, much thicker and fatter, as if it had been specifically grown to be round. In its branches was a tangled, twisted structure, a home built inside its leaves. Around the tree’s trunk was a spiral staircase, partially cut into the tree itself, partially hanging precariously over nothing. Running down one side of the tree was a collection of pipes and cables, feeding power and water into the wooden home tucked away in the branches. On the other side was a small platform, tied up via a winch and cables, to lift things up and down. At the bottom of the tree, a few meters away from the trunk, was a small, wooden fence circling it, decorated with little lights and a wooden gate.
“THIS is the cheap home you bought for us?” Ksiel exclaimed. “THIS? I was expecting a shanty or maybe a little bungalow. This is a fucking palace!”
Kayel smiled awkwardly. “Well… it would have been a much smaller place if I hadn’t had so many connections.”
“And you OWN this?” While the rest of the L-Class Ksa were amazed, Ksiel was mostly in shock. Probably because the last time he had been to a luxurious home, it was back when they served the Vice General. Someone so foul that the L-Class refused to repeat his name.
“…Yes.”
“HOW?” Ksiel couldn’t believe it. “No, seriously brother, how?”
Kayel shrugged. “It’s the way Thanatians see things. This used to be but a tiny part of Thrakian territory, but like all Thanatians, they care more about size than looks. If you want a tiny chunk of land, they will happily sell it to you in exchange for services and some shiny things.”
“What shiny things?” Zitel butted in. “And where can I get these shiny things?”
“And what services?” Ayel asked. “I mean, must have been pretty good services, for the size of this place.”
Kayel didn’t answer at first. He opened up the gate and let everyone through.
“Also, how are we going to get all our luggage up those steps? I’m too lazy for telekinisis right now…” Enel admitted as he dragged his case along the ground. “I mean, we fucking walked ten kilometres from that Kshan town to get here…”
Again, Kayel didn’t answer. He was concentrating on something. A pair of dark, psionic wings sprouted from his back and he took off, up into the air, towards the top of the tree house. After about a minute, Kayel returned, standing on the platform, which he had brought down to ground level.
“Dump your luggage on here and I’ll winch it up.”
“You didn’t answer our other questions,” Emel helpfully pointed out.
“Which ones?”
“The ones about shiny things and services!” Zitel beamed.
Kayel’s face dropped. “Well, uh… The shiny things, I have some… Trehan treasures that I sold for this. The services are a bit more… awkward.”
“You didn’t prostitute yourself, did you?”Deeyel asked awkwardly.
“What? No! Of course not! I offered my necromantic abilities as a service. Lots of Thanatians want seals on where they bury their dead so that… evil necromancers don’t come along and… do evil things…” Kayel paused. “I could have gotten a plot three times this size though if I’d offered sexual services…”
The rest of the L-Class remained in a shocked silence.
“Thanatians are weird,” Kayel shrugged as he started throwing luggage onto the platform. “Even the Thraki can’t resist that sort of thing. Anyway, any more, less awkward questions before we get settled?”
“Me! Me!” Zitel bounced around. He was clearly more excited than everyone else. “When do we start our first magic lesson?”
“I need to take you to the Temple to be blessed. But since it’s getting dark, we’ll head off tomorrowmorning.”
“Why do we need to be blessed?” Zitel had so much he wanted to ask, but he didn’t want to seem too needy.
Kayel frowned. “Trust me, you don’t want to learn magia and not be blessed. All sorts of bad, corrupting shit could happen. And unblessed magia pisses off the Thraki, which is something else I want to avoid. I annoyed them enough bringing you all here.”
“One last question! What about Veeyel?”
“He should be arriving at Portalia City on Saturday and we’ll bring him here once he’s ready,” Ksiel interrupted as he helped Kayel with the luggage. “Come on, let’s get this stuff sorted out.”
Once all the luggage was on the platform, Kayel flew back up to the top to winch it all up, while the rest of the L-Class ascended to the house proper. Most of them took the stairs, but Zitel in his endless excitement flew up on his own pair of telekinetically-powered wings.
As they reached the top, they realised just how amazing the view was. As the sun set on the horizon, the stars could be seen, slowly flickering in and out between hazy clouds. A thin band of dust and stars ran across the sky, the tendrils of the galaxy in which they resided. In the distance, the taller buildings of Portalia City could be seen in the valley of two tree-covered hills, while the Thanatian village of Kshiasia sat nestled at the base of a third hill. Behind them were the lower peaks of the Dovgokul mountains, their disappearing behind clouds and evening fog.
“Wow.”
Even Zitel had been silenced by the beauty around them.
“Brothers,” Kayel exclaimed, interrupting their astonishment, “you going to give me a hand here? There’s a small bed for each of you, separated by screens, with curtains for privacy. Pick the ones you want and get yourselves sorted out.”
“And get some rest,” Ksiel added.
“Yes, get some rest. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”