"It's dangerous up there yeh know?" A sailor warned, "And not just cause its in teh air. Dark magic er somethin causin folks to get scratches."

Caius didn't respond and instead kept gazing up at the blue sky. The sailor sighed heavily then walked off, muttering about how people needed to get their heads out of the clouds. White clouds danced around in the sky as the ship traveled to its destination. Airships typically avoided the cursed city but the captain was a family friend, so this one time the jewelry maker was able to get a free ride to wherever he wanted. Folding his arms over the railing of the ship that kept people from falling overboard, he set his sights on the city they approached. He had come prepared. His long black hair was tied up in a bun, he had chosen a deep blue tunic with long sleeves and white trousers to blend in with the sky, and a gray backpack filled with all of the supplies that he would need.

The backpack had food, water, a tinderbox, gloves, his journal, mining tools, a net, a pouch, a map, a lantern, rope, a tailoring kit, a whetstone, and a few eating tools in case he got hungry. Two weeks before the journey Caius had learned and practiced a new spell called Gate Travel. It would allow him to travel from one place to another with portals. The jewelry maker was still cautious using that spell. During one of his practices, he had sent one part of an apple into a well and another part to a volcano. He'd gotten better with the magic but was nervous about performing the magic for himself. Caius enjoyed having both halves of his body. 

A hand slapped down on his shoulder, making him jump with surprise. 

"We've landed." The captain said, "Caius…are you certain that you want to go into the city? That place is dangerous. Even for me or my soldiers." 

A small smile appeared on Caius' lips. 

"Don't worry sir." He said softly, "If I run into trouble, I have a spell I can use to get me out." 

Unconvinced but wanting to let him try anyway, the captain simply nodded and went off to yell at some lazy sailor. The airship stopped and let all passengers for the city get off. Some of the sailors waved goodbye as the airship began to leave while others just headed back to work. Turning towards the magnificent city, Caius realized one simple thing. He was terrified. Thoughts of dying, falling, or being attacked flew through his mind as he walked around the city. But he soon became distracted by the beauty of the city. Its sky-blue stone buildings stood mightily despite the passage of time. The Azure material of the buildings fascinated him the most. Caius began to walk to a building with weaker structure and took out his pickax from his backpack to take a small sample. 

Paradox was sent up here by a group of scientists to do some research on the rocks here. There were rumors of treasure and such things, but she had no interest in those. She was getting paid enough that the money wasn't a big concern for her. The buildings here were different than any of the other cities she had seen. Onnen as she made her way through the country, was a very unique place indeed, filled with wonders she'd never seen before on Canelux or Parvpora. This city, for instance, was made entirely of blue stone and sat on a cloud high above the ground. She felt it was very old magic at hand, especially considering there was no one in the city present or alive that could be able to sustain it for so long.

She walked slowly along the road made of blue stone. She clutched her dagger at her hip and was reassured when she turned to check her saddlebags were still present and intact upon her withers. Her long bardiche was also still strapped securely in its sheath that went down the length of her flank. It bumped gently against her shoulder as she moved. As a suggestion by her fellow scientists, she was urged to bring some sort of protection in case she stumbled onto any danger here. At their insistence, she wore her metal leg bracers, and both her croupiere and criniere to protect her hind and forequarters respectively. Overall, her horse half was effectively protected if she ran into trouble, which so far hadn't happened in the two days she'd been here.

After spending most of the first day wandering the city and just sightseeing, she concluded that there was no one alive in the city with her. She had heard the rumors of the place and was cautious, but gradually became more confident as the place proved to be completely empty. She started her research the second day, gathering samples from the various buildings, roadways, and such like. She carried several other instruments on her person to measure the various levels of magic, the temperature, barometric pressure, and other things. The scientists would take this information from the instruments and journal she kept in her saddlebag and put it into something more scientific and official. Possibly even a textbook about the place so that others could study about the city for themselves. It was a nice idea anyway and kept her motivated.
As she was making her way carefully around the edge of the city a noise caught her attention. She stopped for a moment and flicked her ears back and forth in order to tune in on the sound. It was from an airship. Curious she walked towards where it would likely land, stopping just before she reached the landing site. It was true, there was an airship coming in for a landing. It was only there for a short time and she took it in with wide eyes. The scientists weren't supposed to send for her for another two days or so, it was too early for her departure craft to arrive. Just as quickly as it landed on the platform, the airship lifted off and flew away. She watched it go for a moment before walking briskly to where it had just been.
She walked carefully, seeing the imprint of the landing gear in the light blue dust. A pair of other shapes caught her attention and she walked over, surprised. They were footprints of someone walking away from the airship. She furrowed her brow in slight confusion and dipped her ears slightly. Someone got off? Here of all places. She looked up and followed them with her eyes to where they turned and walked behind a building. Hesitantly, she followed them, knowing that where the footprints stopped, the person would be there. This place was dangerous, she had learned that in the short time she'd been there. There were things she couldn't explain and that was why the scientists had sent her to look into them, to try and solve the puzzle. It wasn't safe for whoever it was to be out here alone and she felt a gnawing need to find them. 

Nobody else but Caius had decided to stay. He was alone in the city…or so he believed. Pushing back his sleeves, he took his pickax and swung at the corner of the building. His swings were cautious but firm. Enough to break off pieces but not enough to cause the whole structure to collapse. Despite having a thin and elegant appearance, Caius had muscular arms. Nothing like what a knight or soldier might have. However, years of gathering raw materials and working at a forge to make jewelry resulted in an athletic appearance. A piece of Azure fell to the puffy cloud ground. He plucked it up and held it in the sunlight to have a better look at it. A small smile appeared on his face as he saw the shining blue stone. 

"Beautiful." He said to himself. 

A stone that could last for a long time. Anybody would be interested in having an ancient stone as a piece of their jewelry. The idea that it came from the sky city would also attract attention. However, the thing that Caius wanted to have the most was to figure out how it lasted for so long. He had heard rumors about people getting harmed or disappearing when coming to investigate. Instead of staying for a long period of time, he decided to try to take some of the material and send it to some alchemists and scientists. In exchange, they would tell him the secrets of long lasting stone and he would keep bringing them samples. The jewelry maker took out a small pouch and dropped the Azure stone into his bag. 

He decided to try to find some tougher stone in the center of the city. Caius figured that it would be good to get a sample of outskirts of the city, middle of the city, then at the very center. That way if scientists wanted to, they could test each stone to see if there was a difference between material. The stones that he would gather would be small. Taking too much might damage the city. Only taking what was necessary for him and the scientists was important. Swinging the bag over his shoulder, he turned and began to head back where he had come from. When he went behind the building, he almost ran into Paradox but stopped himself. 

"EEP!" Caius let out a small shriek.

Then he ducked behind a building. What did he see? All he saw was a person. It could have been a ghost! Or something of the undead variety! Caius peeked his head around the corner to see a centaur lady with strawberry blonde hair and gray eyes. This still could be a ghost or ghoul of some sort. 

"Are you a ghost?" He asked cautiously. 

Paradox followed the young man through the city. Like her, he seemed to be a scientist of some sorts, taking samples of the rock and putting it in a bag. He was careful not to take any more than he needed. He seemed to be making an effort to not cause the building to fall, and for that she was grateful. She'd rather maintain her low profile here, she didn't need to go attracting the attention of anything that might have still been lingering here. She'd heard the stories but fortunately had yet to encounter any kind of mischief or trouble. She'd like to keep it that way if she could help it.

She saw him put a few samples in his bag and was debating on walking forward to introduce herself. It was then he swung the bag over his shoulder and turned around. Rounding the corner, he stopped just shy of her chest and let out a shriek before ducking away. She pinned her ears and balked at the sudden noise, quite unsure of what to do. After a moment, when her nerves had calmed down and she remembers that he was just a man, she stepped forward and peeked around the wall. He seemed very nervous about her, more so than most people when they first met her, and she was quite calm and civil compared to the rest of her kind.

Quietly, she heard him ask if she was a ghost. Her ears perked forward and her eyebrows shot up in surprise. A ghost? That explains the scared look. She'd probably look the same way if she saw a ghost walking about it. She gave him a smile. "I'd like to think not," she said. "I've been this way my whole life. I'm a very physical ghost if that was the case. Look," she said pointing behind her, "I even leave tracks." She stepped towards him again and extended her hand. "My name's Paradox. I've been up here looking for stone samples too. I'm working with a group of scientists out on the mainland."

She slung off a saddle bag and showed him the little bottles with different sized fragments inside. After a short time, she put it back on and secured it over her criniere. She gestured for him to walk with her. "So what brings you here?" She asked, trying to start a conversation. "I haven't seen anyone up here in the days I've been here. You're the first living thing I've encountered in the better part of three days. It's relatively dead here, nothing alive, not even the grass and plants. It's painfully quiet at night."

Realizing how silly he was behaving, Caius stood up straight with a bashful look on his face. He reached down to the ground and picked up his dropped bag. Only now did he notice that the stranger was a centaur. She had long strawberry blonde hair and gray eyes. Previously the jewelry maker had believed that he was the only one in the city. However, looking at her, he realized that this was not the case.

"S-sorry. I wasn't expecting anybody to be in the city." He admitted, "My name is Caius. It's good to know that I'm not alone in the city."

Instead of shaking her hand, he opted to wave instead. His powers and abilities were still in training. If he continued to get to know her then he would eventually have to have a vision. However, at the moment it seemed like a poor idea to have a vision so high up in the clouds. Especially if there was invisible dangers around. Caius had heard many warnings about the city being haunted. Which was why he was so….startled by Paradox.

"Three days? That must have been a bit lonely." Caius said with slight concern, "Oh, I'm here to gather samples. Partially to give away in exchange for information. Partially because I'm…well I'm a jewelry maker. These stones have lasted for so many years. I wanted to try to figure out how they were preserved. Is it…nice up here?"

Not wanting to sound overly paranoid, he opted to try a vague discussion. Perhaps she knew something about the strange things happening here.

Paradox was relieved when the young man calmed down. She was really glad he didn't decide to run off or something else to draw attention to them. It seemed to be better if they didn't attract attention here. She watched him pick up his bag and straighten upright. She smiled at him understandingly. "It's alright," she said, ducking her head a little and perking her ears. "I wasn't expecting anyone to show up while I was here. But it is nice to have the company." She stood and talked to him. He seemed like an intelligent fellow, young and ambitious. Being a jeweler required both skill and patience, as it was a delicate craft.

"It wasn't as lonely as one would expect," she continued. "I'm used to traveling and going off alone. I don't mind my own company, but it's always interesting to meet someone new. My kind being herd animals, I'm a bit of an oddity that way." She shrugged and picked at her mane. Like her, it seemed he was here to gather samples of the city as well. The city almost had a magnetic quality in how it attracted outsiders to its buildings. She too was intrigued by the stone and its ability to withstand the weather as well as it had, considering the possible age of the city itself. 

She nodded at his last question. "It's very nice up here," she walked slowly towards the edge of the city and gestured out over the water. "It's so neat to be above the birds that fish below. Sometimes I see whales surface farther out and when the stars appear, the reflections make it look like you are the only ones floating in the middle of space. It's simply beautiful. I'm sure when the city was functioning and alive, it was a sight to behold. A treasured city, it's such a shame it was abandoned, though I feel it would have taken a lot to get the occupants to leave here."

Following the centaur near the edge, he looked down at the beautiful ocean below. The calm waters glistened in the sun as a flock of birds searched for something to eat. A soft smile appeared on his face as he watched. His black ebony hair flew gently in the wind. Despite his green eyes focusing on the water, his mind was busy creating thousands of new possibilities. Images imagined in his mind displayed new ideas of what to try. 

"….This is why I wanted to get a few of those stones. Those stones almost capture the sky and the sea in a way that few other stones do. If I try to combine it with a cloud aspect, then I hope to create a piece that would inspire thoughts of this place, even if they've never been there themselves." Caius spoke, deep in thought. 

Turning around to see his new friend, he realized they both were here for similar goals. And that meant….

"Would you like to work together?" Caius asked, "We both are after the same thing. It would be safer in numbers. Not to mention it would be easier to work with somebody else." 

He also didn't want her to get too lonely. The jewelry maker did know that Paradox was fine with being on her own but… He just didn't want to leave her alone. His right hand had a dash on the top. The cut wasn't deep but small bits of blood started leaking out. 

Paradox looked out over the water, feeling the breeze come off the sea and blow through the city. Her mane and tail fluttered in the wind. She closed her eyes, savoring the smell of the salty sea air. She didn't come to the beach often, and when she did the trips weren't long. This was likely the longest amount of time she had spent near the shore for a long time. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the young man smile. He also seemed to like it here. His green eyes were bright and she could tell he was either daydreaming or possibly lost in his own mind. She cocked an ear in his direction as he began to speak.

Her assumption was correct that he was thinking, and he explained himself well on why he had come to this island. She listened to what he was saying and tried to picture the idea in her mind's eye. Though she wasn't the best with jewelry and trinkets, she could see what he had in mind. It fit the city very well and would likely be a very popular piece. He suddenly turned to look at her and it caught her momentarily by surprise. She looked down at him for a moment before answering his question. She was quiet a minute as she thought about his suggestion. It wasn't a bad idea, she just hoped it wouldn't attract the attention of the other beings present there.

She nodded at him. "We can try that," she said. She put a hand on her criniere where her hip would have been if she were a human.  "It's not a bad idea. We just have to make sure to be doubly careful to avoid attracting attention to ourselves. I'd rather continue to avoid the Scratchers if at all possible, I'd rather not run into them if we can prevent it. I have no interest in sparing with a creature that I can't see." She smiled at him and turned slowly on her hindquarters to head back into the city. She didn't trust the edge too much, considering her heavy weight, it would likely take no time at all for it to crumble beneath her and plunge her into the sea. Also something she would like to avoid while she stayed here.

She caught the faint scent of copper and turned to look at Caius again. She furrowed her brow as she scrutinized him thoroughly. She saw him move one of his arms and saw a cut on the back, not deep or severe, but just enough that it made a smell. "I would cover that," she said quietly gesturing to his hand. "If I can smell it, the Scratchers probably can too. Avoiding attention is very important here." She reached into her saddlebag and after rummaging a minute, found a thin pair of gloves. "Here," she said handing them to him. "These can keep you from getting beat up on the rocks."

Realizing that he had an injury, his hand automatically reached to cover it up. The centaur handed him a pair of thin gloves to use. He had his own pair buried within his backpack but the jewelry maker was not one to deny a gift. Taking the gloves carefully, to avoid getting them dirty, he pulled them onto his hands. Caius reached into the gray back that rested on his shoulders to search for a piece of fabric to wrap around his little injury. It wasn't as good as a bandage but it would work for now. 

"…Perhaps we should go deeper into the city." Caius suggested softly, "There might be stronger stones there."

He took the strip of fabric and wrapped it around his arm, covering the injury. The ground consisted entirely of clouds. Reaching down, he touched the ground and felt the softness of it. The idea of it being able to hold up so much seemed impossible and fascinating. Caius stood up properly and began to walk towards the center of the city. With a pickax in hand, he began to walk towards the center of the city. Each step was taken with care and caution. The man was one of timidity rather than unlimited confidence.

Then the jewelry maker set his sights on one of the buildings. It was a small house that had probably been once the home of a lower class citizen. However, the stone constructing the building stood strong and tall. It shined and was untouched by time. Realizing it was almost too perfect, Caius observed the building suspiciously for a few moments before deciding that it was safe. He picked up his pickax and began to tap on the corner of one of the building's windows. The taps were powerful enough to cause cracks in the wall but careful enough to ensure that the wall wouldn't fall apart. 

Paradox walked with Caius as they went into the city. She watched how he went, careful and cautiously, but he seemed to be nervous just the same. He reminded her vaguely of a mouse or squirrel. Smart and capable in their own way, but always on guard for something to happen. It wasn't a bad thing, but she would definitely appreciate his alertness while they worked here in this empty city. An extra pair of eyes and ears were always helpful, especially in unfamiliar and potentially dangerous areas. She had yet to find any source of danger or angry spirits, but she was in no desire to find them and see if they actually existed either.

Caius made his way over to a building, he went towards a small building and gingerly started to tap the wall with his pick. Not terribly hard or loud, but just enough to break off small fragments of the stone for him to store in his bag. She watched him a moment before walking over to another building. Like him, she too was collecting bits of rock and structure from around the city. She didn't bring an axe with her, however, and instead took pieces of stone from the ground and windowsills that had already broken off with the passage of time. It was nice to have the company with her in this place. It had been terribly quiet being here alone.

They spent a good portion of the day chipping away and scavenging the buildings to get what parts they could take without actively destroying the city. She was wrapping up the one building she was working on when she felt something unsettling in her hooves. She hesitated a moment, unsure of the feeling. Her hard feet made it very easy for her to sense vibrations beneath her. She stared at the ground confused, growing frightened and concerned as she saw the small stones and pebbles started to shimmer across the ground. She looked around her, the buildings themselves were starting to vibrate as well. 

Caius! She turned her head and ears frantically looking for her companion. She saw him working next to a building a short distance away. Small bits of it were starting to crumble and cause dust to rise up. Her eyes widened as she threw her tools to the side and raced over to him. "Caius!" She shouted at him, the urgency in her voice. "Run! Get away from the building! It's an earthquake!" Seeing how they were not going to escape the falling structure she jumped towards him, catching his chest against her human half and pushing him underneath her belly. She crouched as best she could, covering Caius and her human half with her armored horse half, and she braced herself as the rocks fell down around them.