Originally Published: 20 October 2022
22 September 1461
"I don't think this one's appropriate for you, especially for starting an internship."
That's what my Lead Scholar said when I mentioned this job posting. But I accepted it anyway. The lure of the assignment was irresistible with its vague wording "leaving room for freedom of movement," I argued back.
Equally as tempting was the lure of the business, itself, who posted this assignment. Mending Worlds Incorporated, they called themselves. Having existed for over eighty years, this multinational firm, with its origins in a small Canticulan nation, earned its popularity through its bold stance.
I will say that their stance has been seen by some as questionable. Most famous was their relatively recent claim of being "Circlaria's first interglobal company," owing to the fact that they opened an office on Planet Nephina, which is supposed to be considered a place of settlement purely for the objective scientific community.
There is also controversy over Mending Worlds' policy of compensation. Hiring strictly on a temporary by-contract basis, Mending Worlds is seen by many to have a compensation policy that is unfair because of it being based not on what is accomplished, but based on that plus how it is accomplished. Some people, accordingly, are underpaid for their gigs. However, I've also read on incidents where some people received rather large payments.
For me, this is a bit of a game of gamble. I see a large risk in working for this business, especially with this assignment, but also the potential for a huge reward. And I am a person for high risk and high reward.
So I took the assignment.
I boarded a gyroplane that whisked me from the doorstep of my dormitory in Jestopole to the nearby Combrian town of Kingston, a ride that only took a few minutes.
For the record, I am 22 years old and have been studying at the National Institute of Research and Development for quite some time now. I recently gained Accreditation at the County Level in Bucksworth County and have gained successful entry into the NIRD chapter at the University of Combria in Jestopole. Obviously, I seek Accreditation here and, in the process, have been seeking internships to support my thesis. Hence, this assignment.
Before I explain what I did in Kingston, I would like to comment on the high quality of gyroplane travel. The gyroplane I took was a one-seat cabin as the aircraft was operated solely by automated systems, which are very reliable. The gyroplane infrastructure throughout the Independent Commonwealth is fully funded by the government, so I do not have to pay any credit for traveling. And the motions of takeoff and landing were barely felt, and the engine quiet. I only had to simply tap a button for the plane to obey and take me to Kingston. En route, I tapped another button, and a circular iris next to my right arm opened up and served me a small cold glass of sweet white wine.
So anyway, after only a few minutes, the gyroplane gently touched down on the landing pad in Kingston, more specifically at my intended destination. To note, this destination happened to be at the location that was once Kings' End County Airfield, but no longer serves that purpose. I will admit, I still am fascinated at how since the advent of gyroplanes eighty years ago, cars, trains, and airports have been rendered obsolete, for gyroplanes can land anywhere, even in your backyard.
The former Kings' End County Airfield is now simply an open field serving as exhibition grounds for numerous conventions, festivals, and large-crowd events. And today, for this week, it is serving as the venue for the annual Kings' End County Balloon Festival, a tradition dating back more than 250 years.
As soon as I stepped off, I spent a while strolling about the grounds gawking at the different forms of balloons and airships from all the different periods in Combrian history. One thing I noticed is that, despite the occurrence of the events detailed in the assignment, everything here seemed normal; no one seemed panicked or phased. I eventually met with Jon Boff, Manager of Events, who directed me to the crash site, which is currently cordoned-off from the public.
Earlier this week, a neo-Classical Airship, steam-powered and named Bloomfielder, took off from the grounds on a scheduled tour flight with about perhaps 100 people on board. Just after takeoff, though, an explosion was heard. Overwhelming evidence pointed to the fact that the actual explosion actually happened on the ground in the woods, but the sound and shock was intense enough to cause panic and pandemonium aboard the ship. This wave of panic spread to the Flight Deck, whose personnel could not hold back the passengers, and caused the Flight Crew to lose control of the Airship. The Bloomfielder crash-landed on the edged of the former Airfield. No injuries, thankfully, resulted from the incident. However, the airship took enough damage to require repairs before resuming safe flights.
Local authorities had been called in to investigate the incident. So far, they have found evidence that the explosion had something to do with spellfire-crafting, but they still do not know the location of the explosion or any further details. So that was when the local authorities reached out to the expertise of Mending Worlds.
Boff verbally gave me the first directive, which was simply to find where the explosion happened and scan for any remnants of spellfire activity to confirm whether the preliminary evidence pointed to a spellfire event. Boff remarked that Kings' End County is the "spellfire-crafting capital of the world."
Indeed it is. And that is one of the other lures of this assignment. I have heard this place being called that before, and I know Kings' End County is home to an overwhelming presence of businesses and tradespeople great and small.
I've also heard of a lot of spellfire-crafting scandals originate from here. So this is a fruitful harvest for me.
I returned to the crash site, where I noted that the airship did not take too much damage; just very bad scraping on the underside. Nevertheless, that is enough to ground the vessel. It's a beautiful Classical-era ship, so this brings me sadness. I met with the Bloomfielder Captain, Claire Morlin, who told me that the Airship took off due West. When the incident happened, she tried to steer the vessel so that it could land from the North. She almost made it, but the Bloomfielder ran out of elevation at the North edge of the former Airfield, as I could see. Morlin gave me approximate times that certain key events of the incident occurred which I noted. I then consulted with the vessel's flight data recorder, and, using Morlin's timestamps, was able to determine that the source of the explosion was somewhere far deeper into the woods than I anticipated.
And may I mention, I am discussing the infamous Endwoods, which, even in modern times, are considered treacherous. It's not just the wildlife, with local species unique to the County, which present unexpected dangers. It is, most worryingly, the dangerous spellcrafter outlaws.
By the time I found the possible area from where the explosion originated, it was late dusk; and the Endwoods are dangerous even in daytime. So I made a promise to return tomorrow. I checked into a local hostel to save commute time tomorrow. I already have my well-crafted talisman, but I texted my Lead Scholar for extra combat gear.
My agenda is to venture into the Endwoods tomorrow ready for unexpected confrontations.