Miscellaneous

Everyone could feel the rise in magic throughout their bodies. There was a new charged feeling in the air that was felt by humans and fetters alike. Radio could feel it just as the others had. He felt drawn to return to The Origin. The crystal caves called to him, setting his fur on edge. He decided that he would go out to see if anyone else knew what was happening in the world. Trueno was a beautiful city alit with synthetic lighting that was only disturbed by the flash of the lightning strikes coming from far above. There were some areas where the ceiling was clear to see the water as it flowed above. Many found it to be a tourist attraction, bringing people from far lands to see the sight. Radio put on his bomber jacket, pants, and his boots. Normally he wouldn’t wear all these clothes, but he was told before that the humans found it uncomfortable when fetters were not dressed. Although they had fur, the humans still viewed them as “naked” and it always made situations awkward. Many fetters just gave in and had clothes specially designed for them to accommodate their different body shapes. The city was cool today and Radio could see his breath as he walked. The streets were fairly full, many focused on their main task they had set out on. Others wandered seemingly aimlessly, perhaps they were lost. Reaching the main square, Radio looked around for a paper stand. He knew newspapers were outdated by human standards, but he liked the feel of the pages in his hands. It crinkled in his grasp as he held it up to read the front page. Nothing new. Radio should have expected that considering it was a newspaper and not something put out through the internet. Either way, it gave him something to read while he decided to grab something to drink. He pulled out the small piece of technology that the humans referred to as a phone to see if anyone had said anything about this shifting magic. There was actually a lot of news online. Many fetters were discovering the new magic seeping out of areas in the earth and were gaining some strange mutations. Each mutation seemed to be grouped in with the location the fetter came in contact with the magic directly. Some were having new limbs grow, gems and plants covering their bodies, even becoming transparent as parts of them became living glass. Radio was so intrigued that he spent another hour scrolling through article after article learning about these new mutations that fetters were gaining. A part of him was interested in getting some of these amazing mutations himself. But which ones? He thought about which mutations he was interested in, and where each location of magic was in the world. He found the gem growth or spines to be his favorite, so he decided to focus on those mutations. he had already felt a pull to go to The Origin, and that also happened to be a place with many different mutations arising, including the ones he was interested in. When he got home, he started booking his flight and packing his bags. He was already on vacation from his work, so the timing couldn’t have been better. It would be another couple of days before he could leave, but he was too excited to sleep. He ended up talking to his friend Damien online for hours on end, forgetting the time and realizing it when the sunrise was at his widow. Damien lived in the area near The Origin, so they planned that Radio would stay at his home there while he was there. Damien was interested in these mutations too and ended up knowing quite a bit given he lived near the epicenter of a super magical cave. The flight was long and uneventful as Radio watched the ocean spread for miles below them. He fell asleep leaning on the window. He was grateful for human technology having comfortable flights, though the humans were still not thrilled about fetters being allowed to sit with them in the same seats that they were. Once they landed, Damien met Radio at the airport, bringing him back to his small home. They chatted and caught up over dinner, happy to be meeting in person again. Plans for the next day were made, both excited to hit off their trip right away. Radio could already feel the magic in the area was stronger here than in his home in Trueno. Damien told him that many fetters were traveling nowadays because of the surge. There were many who were also heading to The Origin because of its magical properties. The next morning came quickly, although both fetters were anxious throughout the night. Damien was more interested in studying the caves more and the mutations that other fetters were having more than himself. Radio thought it was odd for his jock friend to be interested in studying, but he supported him nonetheless. Either way, they were both heading to the caves that day, and both wanted to know more about what would happen next. Radio had only been to The Origin once when he was a small child, so there wasn’t much he could remember about them. When they walked in though, he was astounded at the beauty of it all. The humans had a similar cave known as Carlsbad that Radio had seen online, but there were so many more crystals here growing everywhere. Lights were placed, or floated really, around the crystals and moved slowly with the slow breeze that filtered through the cave from the entrance. Pinks, reds, and purples lined the mouth of the cave. Tunnels lead away from the center, changing colors as they winded away. They followed a small group of fetters heading further into the center of the cave. According to online articles, there was a small visitor center in the town that resided deep within the main chamber. Signs helped to point them on their way, which Radio was grateful for considering the amount of side tunnels had increased. The floating balls of light lit each tunnel they passed and along the main tunnel they were in. There were many bumps in the pathway where crystals had been removed to allow ease of travel. Damien had mentioned that these crystals would sometimes break off on their own and float in the air, magnetized by the surrounding rock. The tunnel they were in now was a lot smaller than the entrance, but there was still enough room to pull a small car through if a human had wanted to. The room opened up to a teal room that sloped down into the town. It was small, but given that it was so far underground, the town was full of life. Some buildings had been built into the sides of the cave walls, with walkways of wooden bridges to cross the distance between each one. It was bright in this area, with magic creating its own version of the weather inside, complete with a sky and a breeze. From above, though, you could see the ceiling of the cave and the jagged crystals that grew down. The group of fetters made their way down the pathway to enter the town, many heading straight for one of the tunnels leading away from the edges. Damien and Radio headed to what was known as the visitor center. It was mostly there for humans who decided they wanted to come this deep into the ground, and into fetter home territory. Refilling their supplies and grabbing a map, the two chose to take one of the more main tunnels the next day. For now, though, they found a motel esc building where they could stay the night and get some rest. Tomorrow would be an interesting adventure, and Radio hoped that it would be fruitful for them both.