A Breath of Gold (Golden Sun/Breath of Fire)

[BlackHadou]

"Won-Qu, keep an eye on them." I called, as I grabbed my swords and shifted them into a better position. "Saturos, got any ideas how we can get in quietly?"

"The ground was all dirt when I was here last."

"Goodie. We can go under the wall." I nodded, glancing at the others. The group was too large for all of us to go, and only Saturos and I actually knew what we were looking for anyway.

"Oi, I know Alex's face."

"You'll also let everyone know we're here." I answered. "Stay here, Sheba. Please." The girl stared at me for a long moment, before nodding.

"If you get in trouble, I'm leveling the town." She warned. I felt my stomach run cold. I had no doubts she could do it, too. Sheba was frighteningly strong.

"I won't get in trouble."

"You better not." Her hands found her hips, and Sheba looked entirely too imperious for my liking. Jenna just rolled her eyes.

"Trust him. I'm sure he doesn't get in that much trouble."

"He's been injured at every step of this journey." Sheba grumbled. I just waved placatingly as I started to follow Saturos towards the town.

"She's worried about you."

"It's mutual." I muttered. "All it takes is for us to walk past each other in the dusk…"

"Then we keep this quick. This way. The town has two entrances, north and south-east. If we approach from the east, we shouldn't have any issues." I nodded my acceptance of that. Saturos was a warrior, which meant knowing all forms of warfare. Those of Prox did not keep to such things as honour when lives were on the line.

I let my psynergy pulse just once as we neared the wall. Saturos winced as I did so. To us, the sound of psynergy was almost deafening. We were far too attuned to the sound, too keen to notice something going wrong.

"No one is on the wall." I whispered. "It's odd…"

"In what way?"

"It's like… the town is almost empty." I muttered. "What is going on?"

"Empty sounds bad. We investigate."

"You're sure?"

"If Alex isn't here, we're in trouble." Saturos pointed out, as we darted towards the wall, resting against it. "One moment." I could hear his psynergy triggering. It sounded like a roar of fire from his spot right next to me. "Odd. It's colder then it should be."

"Remind you of Prox?"

"Worse." He whispered. "The hell is going on here?" My nerves were already starting to fray. This was getting worrying fast.

"Hand on my shoulder. Let's get in." I muttered, closing my eyes and focusing as Saturos grasped my shoulder tightly. The world shifted and hummed as I turned the dirt beneath us into pliable sand and shifted us beneath the wall. Thankfully, Saturos memory was spot on. There was nothing but dirt in the way. If anything else had been there, this might not have ended well. "Any cover?"

"Pilgrims along the silk road. We're here because we could not cross to Kalay and seek lodgings for the night." Saturos answered. "Unless they're taking roll at the gates, no one should be able to prove us wrong."

"I doubt that, that's a lot of paperwork." I muttered. The Xian couldn't have that many people ready to go this fast, anyway.

The town of Vault was quaint, little more the a wood and thatch village that was never really intended to be more then a trading outpost. It served as a place where caravans traded goods and returned to their routes north, south or east. It was never intended for long term habitation of humans and it showed. The shelters were shoddily made and more shoddily repaired, and the torches were simple sticks planted in the sides of buildings.

"Where is the inn?" I wondered. Saturos pursed his lips as we slowly made our way beside the houses.

"Walls are thin." He whispered. "Talk with Mold." I nodded, glancing down the street. Nothing had signs. How annoying.

"Something is wrong here. It's a caravan outpost. Where are the children?"

"It is evening."

"Which means there should be the smell of food. I repeat, where are the children?"

Saturos was right. There were far too few people here. I closed my eyes, letting my psynergy pulse once, then twice.

Another pulse answered me.

"I've found Alex. He felt us."

"Anything else?"

"Someone moderately large. I think your Jupiter Adept is in town. He's near Alex."

No, there was something else as well. Something like a foul wind that slipped away the moment that I sensed it. I bit my lip, contemplating if Mold should pass it along. I thought better of it for the moment.

"Let's see… Building, building…" Saturos sniffed loudly and exaggeratedly. "Got to be an inn somewhere."

"Maybe. It is a caravan outpost. Maybe it doesn't have normal hostels?" I asked. Saturos shook his head.

"Everywhere has an inn." I motioned for him to follow me as I walked towards where I had felt Alex. My ears strained for the sounds of anyone, anything. Why was it so quiet?

My nerves burned. I came to the house I knew he was within, I raised my hand, and I-

The sound of swords hissing from their sheaths filled the air. I knew we had a follower. My dao was on his neck the moment he moved towards us. Saturos' eyes widened ever so slightly, before they rolled.

"Well, we have a thief at least." He muttered. "What's your name, boy."

The figure was short, a knife in hand. He couldn't be out of his teens. He grit his teeth, glaring at us, but my blade on his shoulder probably convinced him not to try anything.

"Eric."

"Good. We have a few questions. Answer then and I'll give you some coin. Deal?" Saturos asked. The boy's eyes lit up.

"Y-yes sir."

"Good." Saturos' voice was firm. "Where is everyone?"

"Sorry?"

"There's nowhere near enough people here. Where are they?"

"I don't know. Master Hammet left us here a few weeks ago when he left. He didn't say why." Eric looked just a little terrified of Saturos. Saturos, however, pursed his lips.

"We're looking for a few people. Two dog men and a bird man, and a man with blue hair. Have you seen them?"

"The man with blue hair has been here for days. None of us were sure why. He usually stays in the house down the street with Madam Holette." Eric explained quickly. "T-the dog men are here. I don't know where. Madam Holette says not to talk to them."

"Holette?"

"Our carer. Master Hammet left her in charge. She was very upset when Ivan went missing a few days ago, and she says that the dog men where responsible. I haven't asked why. They look scary."

Saturos nodded twice. He glanced to me.

"You're sure Alex is inside?"

"Yes."

"S-sir, I answered you-" Whatever the boy was going to say was cut off, as Saturos' fist smashed into his gut. His eyes rolled up, and he passed out on the spot.

"Still got it, huh?"

"Apparently. This is getting stranger and stranger. Who is Hammet?"

"A local lord. He ruled over the Silk Road as I remember. It was basically his invention." Saturos nodded as he slung the boy over his shoulder, and I knocked at the door. Once, twice, three times. "… Do you think something happened?"

"Something big? Definitely. There's too few people here. It feels like…" Whatever Saturos was going to say was cut off as the door opened, and a mop of blue hair greeted us. It was the first time in years I had seen Alex face to face. He didn't look like he'd aged a bit.

"You know, Saturos, I was beginning to believe you weren't coming."

"A lot of things happened, a lot of it bad. Can we come in?"

"Have you taken to kidnapping?"

"Last thing we needed was the Xian realising we'd talked to a local. I'd rather they didn't know we were here." Alex nodded at that, before motioning us inside quietly.

"I'm surprised you didn't try the madam's house."

"We have Felix. Why would we?"

"Because it is the logical place for a traveller to be holed up."

"Given you are here, I presume something went wrong." I retorted. "I'm guessing at best it's watched."

"Worse, I think. The Xian visited while I was out earlier today. I decided after that not to return. This place is owned by Hammet. Surprisingly quaint for a lords house. I paid my way by tending to the young lords aneurysm." I winced at that.

"He wouldn't happen to be an adept, would he?"

"Yes. You know more of this then?"

"One of our companions gave it to him." Saturos answered. "Sheba, a girl from the south. We picked her up in Tolbi."

"A wicked strong Jupiter Adept, I take it?"

"Too strong. She can't control her mind read."

"And you trust her to be our ally?"

"That's Felix's problem. Not mine." I didn't like being reminded what the expectation was if Sheba betrayed us. She was my responsibility, after all.

"She won't."

"So you say."

"We have an understanding."

"They're engaged."

"Saturos, you're an asshole." I hissed, as Saturos laid Eric out on the couch, plopping a small bag of coins on his chest.

"Generous."

"Payment for services rendered. How missed will you be?"

"Quite, I'm afraid. The town has issues. Many issues."

"Then you know why everyone is missing." I noted. Alex blinked.

"You came from Tolbi. How do you not know? Did you miss it or something?"

"Alex, we went through the Kalay range. We were in Tolbi over a month ago." Saturos retorted. "We have the stars already. We left them with the others. What happened?"

Alex's gaze fell to both of us for a long moment. Then he nodded.

"You passed me by?"

"We came through Chek. Considering the circumstances, we determined it would be faster." I admitted. "We were wrong. We should have come and gotten you."

"You refer to your arm." Alex noted. "How is it? Painful? Loss of sensation? Phantom feeling?"

"Loss of sensation." I confirmed, raising it as best as I could. It still didn't want to cooperate. "I don't suppose you could do anything about it?"

"No. My expertise is the mind, not the body." Alex answered dryly. "Still, you look better then the last time I saw you."

"Pretty sure I was almost dead then. I'm only half dead this time." Alex laughed at that, motioning for us to sit at the table.

"True enough. I'll forgive you passing me by if you explain what happened. I suppose you have something to do with Mount Aleph suddenly being at least twice as large?"

"Yes. A mad dragon hitched a ride on me." I admitted. "We brought it down from Chek. It ascended to godhood in the Sol Sanctum while we were getting the stars and everything spiraled out of control from there." Alex's hands slowed as he warped water into a trio of cups, his eyebrow going up.

"Interesting. So that was the flame we saw leave the mountain. You call it a god?"

"It is god for all intents and purposes." Saturos confirmed. "We might as well have not been there. It lost interest as soon as it claimed its power." I noticed he hadn't mentioned my own transformation. I was grateful for that.

Alex just nodded again, taking a sip.

"Drink. You'll feel better." He mused. "So we have all the stars? By the sounds of it, we have grown considerably."

"We have all the stars." I confirmed. "We have an iron man named Ershin that joined us in Chek-"

"Inside the mountains?"

"Yeah. It's a bit odd." I admitted. "Jenna and Isaac joined us in the Vale. They are dragons like me."

"... This group is getting large." Alex admitted. "We're sure about this?"

"We need the hands. We've learned things about the lighthouses that may make our task difficult." Saturos admitted. "They each seal a demon away."

"A demon, huh. Which means we need to kill it to light the lighthouse." Alex nodded. "Aye, I agree. We need the hands then." He paused for a moment. "Where is Menardi?"

"Menardi, Karst and Agatio were leading the Xian on a merry chase while Felix recovered from the dragon awakening in Vale." Saturos answered. "Speaking of, your turn. What did we miss?"

"Well, bluntly? A war breaking out. Tolbi attacked Kalay about two and a half weeks ago." Alex answered. "That mountain range could not have popped up at a better time. Otherwise we'd have an army on our doorstep."

The cup fell out of my hand.

"What!?"

"Keep your voice down." Saturos hissed. "That actually explains a lot. Where are the people of Vault?"

"Some fled north. Hammet took every able bodied man he could with him south, but then the mountain appeared. I don't know what happened since." Alex explained. "Those that remain are mostly those who could not travel and Master Ivan, who was looking for something. Then the Xian came."

"They weren't here when the mountain first appeared?"

"I don't think they were, but they were here by the next morning. Either they were close, or…" Alex shook his head. "It doesn't matter. They took Ivan with them, and he came back with blood pooling from his head. Your friend did a number on him."

"She described it as barging into his head like a bull. I'd imagine it was unpleasant, given her general lack of control." Saturos admitted. "You are caring for him."

"Aye." Alex nodded. "He asked for assistance finding something called the 'Rod of the Shaman'. He says it was stolen from him."

"Altruism? Well, I suppose it is a worthy cause." Saturos hummed. "Any leads?"

"No. I'd presume the thieves either hailed from Lunpa to the north or took advantage of the confusion to head to Bilbin." Alex answered. "The Silk Road might as well be cut off from this end. Vault won't see much travel for some time."

"... Well. That explains the lack of people." Saturos hummed, finishing his cup. "We don't intend to stay the night. We have too many the Xian are chasing."

"That is true, but we now have an issue." Alex muttered. "If I leave Ivan, he'll likely die."

"..." I glanced at Saturos. There was an easy solution to this, but he wouldn't like it. Neither did I, for that matter.

"What is this Rod of the Shaman's?" I asked. Alex shrugged.

"Some magic relic I suppose." He answered. "It's not like I keep track of all such things."

Ether nibbled on my hair at that. I glanced up, Mold nudging the Djinni to let it focus on me.

"The Rod of the Shaman is one of the relics in the Lalivero ruins. It's depicted in a tablet. They say it will lead one to the Anemos." Ether whispered in my ear. "… We don't have time, do we?"

Sheba wanted to follow that lead.

I glanced at Saturos.

"What are your thoughts?" Alex asked. "Do we leave the boy who has no sin except to cross us to die?"

"You're okay with that?" Saturos shot back. Alex chuckled.

"People live and die, Saturos. I have helped as much as I can with the time I have." He noted. I blinked as Elixir formed beside me.

"Thou must hurrieth up. Won-Qu detected movement from over yonder north-east. Thou hast a small force approaching."

"Can we have a day where something doesn't go wrong?" I hissed. Alex raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry?"

"Won-Qu says someone is on the way. Many someone's. They're approaching from the north-east."

"That way lies the temple of the Xian. You're presence in this region has been noticed."

"Clearly." Saturos swore in several Proxian tongues I didn't quite understand. "They are going to do this the violent way."

[X] Take Ivan with you. Alex can care for him more on the road. It might ingratiate him to you.
[ ] Shove a Elixir of Life down his gullet so you can leave as quick as possible. However, you are down to two…
[ ] Leave Ivan behind. Given he almost got you killed, you didn't owe him anything.

You leave via…

[X] Alex's Warp Psynergy. You will alert the locals something is up.
[ ] Sneaking back out of town the way you came in.
[ ] Write in.

 

[BlackHadou]

Is there any reason whatsoever to come back to Vault after this? There's a djinn here in the game but aside from that, we shouldn't need to visit this place again, so I'm thinking we warp out with Ivan in tow?

Click to shrink...

"Maybe? The only thing near Vault is the Vale. The mountain range means we can't move through the south."

"So yeah, probably not."

Slinking back out isn't exactly going to be doable with a party member having the carry another's body the whole way. Leave him and be done with it.

Click to shrink...

"It'll be slow, but we can do it. Alex isn't that much of a slouch..."

"Do we really want another tagger on. Won-Qu has been carrying Felix as it is. We don't really have anywhere to put him."

"Shove him in Ershin."

"Ether!"

"What? It keeps Felix away from there!"

Thing is I think the Rod of the Shaman's(Shaman's Rod) is needed for the Jupiter Lighthouse. As it was a relic of the people there. I think it was a key or something like that.

Click to shrink...

"It's a relic of the Anemos people, I think. It is said to lead one back to them. Or something like that. I was pretty young when father showed me the ruins."

"Then it's possible you are misremembering?"

"I drew all of those ruins. I remember them pretty well. It's where I learned to paint."

"That doesn't actually disprove what I said..."

"Maybe it doesn't, but we may wish to follow up the lead."

"We don't have unlimited time."

"Maybe not, but if we do need it, we can't exactly return."

I think it was a key or something like that.

Click to shrink...

The Shaman's Rod was a low attack power weapon in Golden Sun 1 and 2 that was effectively useless when Ivan retrieved it because it was already weaker then what he probably already had equipped. It's only useful in The Lost Age because it let Sheba pre-tap monsters for Felix to murder in the opening. It wasn't even used at the Jupiter Lighthouse, in the Shaman Village you gave it away to complete the Hero Trial and get the Hover Jade, which you did actually need for the Lighthouse (Hover being required to access the second portion of it. If you skipped Shaman Village you'd get road blocked about a third of the way into the lighthouse). Given Isaac's party climbed the lighthouse without it, and the abilities Sheba has demonstrated already, I'll let you work out if you think you need it.

Actually, does anyone know how the waters of the Mercury Lighthouse compare to Lemuria's elixir, as far as battle-wounds go?

Click to shrink...

"What ye describe doth only exist within the ocean. Tis where the western lands wert sunk."

Yeah, I'm guessing "locals" may include the dog-man. If they fail to find even a trail of who they were looking for, it may tip them to our teleporter.

Click to shrink...

"It will trip any psynergy stones in the area. Alex's Warp is, metaphorically speaking, loud."

"Could be worse. At least they'll only know we were here, not where we are going."

"There's only really one direction to go though."

"Yeah... Not like it'd be hard to guess."

Oh no. I'm sure there is no chance at all that this is related to any butterflies we may have introduced. Like stealing an immortal leader's elixir of youth after telling him directly that we were going north. No sir.

Click to shrink...

"..."

"You did what!?"

"... Yeah... that... might have... been a contributor. Shit, does he know?"

"Tis sound likely."

Deis did have a "drunk college onee-san" feel to her. Ershin may be into shota if we're lucky.

Click to shrink...

"Ershin is not! So says Ershin!"

"Thou art too. So doth lie Ershin."

"Oi! You aren't allowed to bring that up!"

"Me and mine shalt say as we doth wish."

 

[BlackHadou]

We didn't really have time to argue. That was the reality of the situation. We could have argued on the merits of bringing Alex's patient with us, but it was time we couldn't afford to spare. Especially with a fighting force on the way.

Vault wouldn't be safe by morning. We would have to be leaving in the morning if we didn't want everything to go to hell. I bit my lip, glancing at Saturos.

"You want us to pick up another stray?" I asked.

"I'm not giving him an elixir."

"We don't owe him anything." I noted. Saturos shook his head.

"We do. It was one of ours that put him in this situation. You need to keep Sheba from hurting him again. She was livid when he came to the Vale."

"You're sure?"

"Ershin can carry him. It's big enough and it lets us monitor him." Saturos answered. "Any objections, Alex?"

"None." Alex's lips were twisting into a smile, as if we had played into his hands.Perhaps this was his plan all along, to twist our arms until we did exactly as he wished. Maybe it was just happenstance, or maybe he simply knew Saturos too well. Regardless of the reasoning, he stood up, leaving his cup on the table. "Give me a few moments to bundle him up. How do we intend to leave?"

"We're out of time. Warp us out of town." Saturos answered.

"It will throw away your hard work sneaking in."

"If we don't make it somewhat obvious we were here, we'll have a dead Vale on our hands and conscious." Saturos answered. "At least this way we can give them a wild goose chase."

"There is a basement. We'll doctor it to make it look like it has an escape route." Alex noted. I nodded.

"I'll get to work." I let my psynergy start to run wild. We just had to make them think its the main way we left, after all.

I took more pleasure in just wrecking one of the basements walls then I should have. As I returned to the living room, Saturos had hefted a bundle of cloth with a blond boy within it onto his back. Alex looked like he was traveling quite light. I couldn't even see a weapon on him.

"Are we ready?" Alex asked. I nodded.

"I made a bit of a mess. They'll spend ages trying to work out the signs." I answered. Alex nodded back, one hand going on Saturos shoulder, the other on mine.

"Where should I drop us off?"

"Just get us outside of town. We'll make our way from there."

"Somewhere to the north-west, if you can be that precise." I asked. Alex nodded.

The world immediately began to spin as his psynergy invaded my body. It was weird, being quite literally disassembled into water and cast into the distance. How was it possible for an adept to do this, anyway? It felt like this should have been well and truly out of the realms of psynergy.

Soon, everything was cold and quiet. The light was gone, and the moon was rising in the distance. It felt odd. Very odd.

"Where are we?" Saturos asked. Alex shrugged.

"You were not specific. You said north-west. We are somewhere north-west." Alex answered. I could see Mount Aleph in the distance, shining under the light of the moon. Looking at the moon, I could feel Ether atop my head stirring.

"You okay?"

"I think so. I look up and I feel something…" She answered dryly.

"You, or Sheba?"

"I don't actually know."

"... You're carrying someone's Djinni." Alex noted. "They must be strong."

"She gave him his blood nose, so yes, bluntly." I retorted. "Won-Qu, lead us."

My call was answered by the kirin immediately, the creature warping into existence before us. I was almost shocked. I didn't realise he could teleport.

"Tis not how it works, m'lord." Won-Qu cut my thought off before I could even complete it. "Come yonder. We art not far. Isaac doth form a small cove for us te retire within. We shouldst have no issues of thy pursuers till the morn."

"Well. That is talent." Alex noted. "Things have changed, it appears."

"Quite." Saturos nodded. "The world is changing, and we have to change with it. It is that simple."

I wasn't quite sure it was that simple, but I didn't say anything as Won-Qu began to lead us into the distance. It didn't take too long for that familiar splinter in my head to return.

"… She's mad." Ether spoke up. I winced.

"How mad?"

"She'll wait long enough to hear an explanation. She might do something to that boy we'll regret."

Well, at least she was waiting.

"... Let me guess."

"That Jenna told her not to do anything? Yes. That happened. She still wants to rip into his head."

This might not have been my brightest idea. I let out a groan as we found our little cave. Isaac had made a hole in the ground, and it looked like Jenna had lit it up.

It was actually quite well made. Saturos let out a whistle as we arrived.

"Surprising what a little effort can do." He noted. "I suppose we can't just do this every night?"

"Too much effort. And evidence, for that matter." Isaac shot back. Sheba was sitting by the fire. She did not acknowledge our return.

"Get Ershin. I've got someone we need to store inside it." Saturos noted. "That means keep him safe. He's hurt pretty badly."

"Why did you bring him back?" Sheba shot our way. "He's with the Xian."

"I believe coercion doesn't count." Alex noted. "Considering the harm he's been subjected to, it would be remiss to just leave him to die."

"We should. He would have gotten Felix killed without a second thought." She shot back. She still didn't look at me, instead standing, huffing and making her way into the tent at the back of the cave.

Well… At least she didn't blow up.

I hate that my bar for this going well was so low. Everything kept going wrong.

"So this is our man?" Isaac asked. I nodded.

"He's not as shady as he looks." I noted. "He's our Mercury Adept. With that, we can get into the lighthouse at Imil."

"All this prep work." Isaac mused. "The plains have lost some of their power."

"You noticed?"

"I couldn't put my finger on it all day." Isaac answered. "But then I worked it out. It hasn't gone away, it's moved."

"Moved?"

"To you." Isaac's whisper was soft. "You drew the power out of the plains. Seems I wasn't the only one terrified of what might happen at the sanctum." I bit my lip. He wasn't wrong.

"I asked Ch'o Ryong for the power to fight you without killing you." I explained, sitting down and poking the fire with a stick. "How is she?"

"Sheba? Mad. She'll get over it." Isaac answered. "At least…"

"Maybe." I muttered. No, I was making mistakes. Big mistakes on this front. Sheba had very little control over her life. This needed some amount of give and take, and I'd been forcing her to do little but give. "… Think you and Jenna could work it that we share watch tonight?"

"Be careful pushing too hard."

"She lives in my head. There's little point letting it stew." I retorted. "Alex will be tending to the boy. Apparently he was left behind when his master took every able bodied man south."

"And why would they do that?"

"... We may have started a war on accident." I admitted. "Babi may have run an army up north from Tolbi."

"That's insane. The Xian-"

"Have no interest in the war. They are after us." I cut him off with a wave. "We need to be careful."

"How careful?"

"I'm hesitant to just go north to Bilbin. The Xian are in the way. You know other ways around?"

"The obvious one is to Lunpa. It's built into a mountain-side and has an extensive cavern system. We could even bypass Bilbin entirely." Isaac admitted. "Otherwise, we can go southwest. It'd require we go around the Goma Plains though…"

"The final option is to go the long way around and take the desert route." I muttered. "It might end up faster if we do. We won't have to dodge the Xian's little army."

"Dodging that is going to be difficult." I almost jumped as Ershin settled beside us. "The Xian are skilled mystics with many tracking spells. We will have to take an extremely roundabout and slow route to avoid them if we travel through the Goma Plains. So says Ershin."

"They know magic?"

"Of a sort. The source of their power is the Goddess. She lends them magical power, but it is not magic in the sense they incant magic." Ershin answered. "Rather, they have abilities born of magic. It would be closer to Psynergy. So once said Ershin."

"... It makes it difficult." I admitted. There was a certain charm of going around and through the desert to the Silk Road. If nothing else, we might catch up to Menardi. "How is the boy?"

"Ershin wonders why you think I know?" Ershin retorted.

"Because you know things you shouldn't." I answered. Ershin just laughed, giggling and chuckling in that haughty manner.

"Alas. The boy reacted poorly because Sheba invaded his mind. Sheba's mind is not one compatible with humans. You should remember that." Ershin answered. "She was, perhaps, not entirely truthful of how deep into his mind she dived. His mind tried to conform to the shape of her own and it snapped temporarily. Humans are resilient, though, and it will recover in a few days or weeks."

"... And if she dived so into our minds?" I asked. Ershin paused.

"Ye art endless. Sheba tis merely Anemos. She might winneth a combat of the mind with thy sister or thy brother. Against ye, she would surely perish." Won-Qu's voice was soft as he lay down behind me, granting me a nice back rest. "Ye mind art far more alien te mortals then her art to thee."

"... I disagree. I don't think she could stand being so deep within Isaac or Jenna's minds. Her mind would be forced to try and conform." Ershin noted. "And that, I think, it part of the issue. So says Ershin."

"..." I didn't say anything, but Ershin's words confirmed my thought. The source of the problem wasn't just that Sheba was mad, it was that she was embarrassed. She was discovering parts of her powers that she had never tapped into before.

I had to wonder how much of her thoughts were poisoned by fear?

Did she know where she ended and Ivan began right now?

I'd left this to stew and I'd done it on complete accident.

Alex was not given a watch tonight. It made me feel a little better. Sheba joined me on the watch, but she was not eager to actually sit with me. I just rolled my eyes. This wouldn't go anywhere if she didn't want it to.

It was frustrating, but true.

"Why did you bring him?" I wasn't even sure how long it had been before Sheba'd finally spoken. "He tried to kill you."

"Maybe he did. It's easy to kill a stranger." I answered. "But we might have a use for him."

"In what way could you possibly have a use for him?"

"He helps me keep an eye on Alex." I answered. "Maybe he can teach you control, but that I think is unlikely."

"You're… people aren't toys." I winced at that, but I just patted the ground beside me. She hopefully got the picture.

"How much of him is in your head?"

"What makes you think that?"

"You aren't reading my mind very well, which means something is in the way." I answered. "Your mind reading has been a bit off for a few days now."

"You… how did you notice?"

"I didn't. Something Ershin said made me put two and two together." I answered. "You've been straining to read minds. You looked far more comfortable with my power then you did with your own."

"..." Sheba did not immediately answer, crawling beside me and leaning against me. I let my form shift, my wing of my Force form stretching out and wrapping around her. "I took too much. He's in my head with me. I can sort of shut him out, but he's been getting louder."

"You linked yourself to him."

"No. I think… its easier to say I never actually left his head. While we were separate, it wasn't an issue." She muttered. "But… now…"

Now it was becoming an issue. She couldn't close the link at all.

"Could he kick you out?"

"No. But so long as he's out, I can't exactly just… leave, I think." Sheba answered. I frowned, pulling her tighter.

"Felix?"

The best way to do this would be… No. I wasn't going to do something that would hurt Sheba.

"Come into my head." I whispered. "Just for a moment. I want you to understand." Sheba nodded against me. She swallowed, loudly, and I felt the splinter dive deep into my mind. For a moment, I was sure she could see what I saw and knew what I knew.

She pulled back a moment later.

"You're sure?"

"Yes. It'll help us get around the Xian, too, so win, win for us."

"You don't have to justify it to me, Felix. I know why you're doing it. I just…"

"Learn to take. Isn't that what you warned me about?" I shot at the little Anemos. She just glared at me.

"You aren't meant to use a girl's logic against her."

"Do you disagree?"

"... We're both bad at this, aren't we?" I just chuckled at that.

"We are." I hummed, letting my dragon form fall away. "Put the mask on." Sheba obeyed without question, and a moment later, she was a Venus Adept. My powers had faded away. "Mold, look after her."

"He said he will." I wasn't sure why I could still hear Ether, but that was fine. She was probably the only Djinni I'd be hearing for a while.

"Tis not true. I doth remain."

Even without my Psynergy, it would seam that some things could not be given up. I wanted to wrap my arm around Sheba, but it wouldn't obey my thoughts. Sheba just glanced at me, before slipping her arms around me.

Even if I couldn't, she could.

"Thank you. My head's clearer."

"It would be without hearing everyone else."

"I guess." Sheba paused, biting her lip. "Felix. Something is up with Alex."

"Let me guess, you can't read his mind like Agatio."

"No. Agatio's mind is chaos. I know some people just have natural defences against mind reading. I've never met someone whose mind isn't there." Sheba answered.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"When I looked for him, he just wasn't there." What the hell did that mean? How could someone's mind not be there?

"Thank you. I'll keep an eye on him." I'd have to get Won-Qu on that. This disturbed me. Sheba just nodded, pulling herself closer to my side.

"Give me your wing."

"Oh?"

"It's cold. The fire sucks." Sheba answered. I knew she was lying, at least only a little. The fire was plenty. I humored her anyway, my Force forms wing unfolding and wrapping back around her.

"Don't let Jenna hear that."

"Tch. She should make better fires." Sheba shot back. "How do you cope?"

"With?"

"Seeing life everywhere?" I blinked. Sheba could use the pulse of life? Why was I surprised, of course she did. She probably couldn't stop.

"You really have no control, short stuff."

"I'm not that short. You're just unreasonably tall." Sheba shot back. "So I have no control like this too huh?"

"None at all. I have to focus to see the life force of others." I answered. "But I suppose given your issue with reading minds, I shouldn't be surprised."

"Tch. Fine, buster." Sheba just rolled her eyes. "You're defenseless like this."

"Maybe, but the boy is out cold. We should be safe for now." Sheba nodded against me.

"It'll be nice when we are really safe."

"It will be."

Saturos and Ershin ended up relieving me, though I didn't bother moving. After all, Sheba had fallen asleep at some point. Saturos didn't say a word until he'd sat by the fire.

"If you two are going to flirt, maybe you shouldn't watch together."

"Pot, kettle, black." I shot back. "I've seen you and Menardi."

"We are professionals, Felix." Saturos glanced at us for a long moment. "She has control now?"

"No. I gave her my powers. We have a problem."

"How big a problem?"

"We need to make sure that boy wakes up. We might need a real doctor. Not whatever Alex passes at."

"Alex is good at this sort of thing."

"Maybe, but the boy is at least partially trapped inside her head. I can sever the link by giving her my power, but its not going to work long term."

"... Keeps you hidden from the Xian." Saturos muttered. "For the moment, it works, but…"

"It'll go south sooner or later." I nodded. "What do you think of Alex?"

"In what sense?"

"He disturbs Sheba. I'm not sure why, and she didn't elaborate."

"Too busy smoothing your relationship with your fiance?"

"..." I didn't answer, just waiting for Saturos to finally speak.

"Alas. Alex and I are… partners in a sense." Saturos admitted. "We are not friends."

"I could tell." I muttered. "It might be better if you were."

"You are friends with people you sleep with, Felix. I merely break bread with him." Saturos retorted. "Maybe as this adventure continues, we will become friends. He's far calmer then when I met him."

"Oh? Was he just a kid?"

"A teenager, I believe. He has not aged much." Saturos admitted. "But he was far less calm. Far more violent, I think. He was not satisfied with his lot in life. He still isn't, but…"

"But? I suppose an adventure is exactly what he needs, then."

"He's a pacifist, Felix. I fear this adventure will break him." Saturos answered. "But enough of that. You should sleep."

"I should." I admit. I drew my wing closer, enjoying the warmth against my side. Ershin's eyes remained implacable, as it stared at me. I wasn't sure Ershin was actually seeing me when it stared at me.

Still, the warmth of the flame and Saturos' presence made me feel safe. Safe enough to sleep without concern.

You decide to…
[ ] Travel to the north to Lunpa. You will use the mountain caverns to avoid the Xian. (Time to Bilbin - 3 weeks)
[ ] Travel through the plains to the north-east. You'll risk being chased by the Xian, but it is the fastest. (Time to Bilbin - 2 weeks)
[X] Travel along the Silk Road by breaking into the Lamakan Desert. It was definitely the longest path. It even took you close to the Xian temple. But no one would expect you to take it. No one could follow you down that path. (Time to Bilbin - 6 weeks)

 

[Spectral Waltz]

"Alas, strength of arms alone cannot prevail. I would advise you seek, in the north of Bilbin, the scriptures of the Order of the Paladins of the White Tree. Within is an incantation you might use to bolster that budding talent that will develop in you dragonlings."

"... Magic." I muttered. "There are spells that can help us."

"Yes. In this case, the Binding Curse authored by one known as Yuna. By binding your opponent to the world of the living, not just in physical form, but in spirit, you bind them to its laws. Since Barubary will have a body to cast on, you will be able to use it on him. Without that spell, you will likely fall. Or worse." He nodded to my arm. "I do not think you have much else to give, Felix. Perhaps it is time you do as your partner wishes and start taking, hmm?"

Click to shrink...

This will be good to remember once we get caught up, since we're approaching Bilbin now...

 

[BlackHadou]

It occurred to me, as I began to stir, that I hadn't been woken up. I was rising naturally. I could also smell something that was delicious and sizzling. Someone was cooking.

Someone else was swearing up a storm. A moment revealed it was definitely Saturos. On one hand, I could open my eyes and face the world. On the other, someone was still hidden under my wing, and drawing her closer was far more interesting.

I curled my wing in a little more. Sheba just let out a small squeak, shrinking into my side. I felt like I was going to just doze off again, but Sheba didn't seem that interested in going back to sleep. A moment later, she was pulling my wing open to escape.

It was a little disappointing. I didn't want to move yet.

"That smells great."

"I'd hope so. Took a bit to get the stone to heat properly." I could hear Jenna and Sheba talking. That wasn't what interested me. I let my ears shut out the other sounds, focusing on Saturos.

He swore again.

"You are still working on it?"

"I can't make it work. We can't pass the plains. The Xian will catch us for sure."

"Ershin thinks Isaac's assessment is wrong. So says Ershin."

"Maybe, but what if it isn't?" Saturos shot back. "I'm not about to risk half of our lives on a maybe."

I'm pretty sure the Xian would show no quarter. It'd be all of our lives. I rolled onto my side, using my wing as a blanket. I wasn't eager to get up. I didn't want to move.

"Uh… should I-"

"Leave him be." Jenna's voice was soft. "He'll have to get up when I get to the last batch."

"Isn't he hungry?"

"If you don't eat enough, then your body shunts to survival mode. For dragons, that is very different to humans. Our noses aren't actually connected to our stomachs."

"So he doesn't think food immediately when he smells something nice?"

"Sort of. It doesn't make him more hungry. He'd know instinctively there's delicious food, but he isn't in a hurry to actually get it. Are you, Felix?"

My tail just swooped up and down in response.

"See? He knows." I felt Sheba's form settle down against my side.

"He does, doesn't he?" I could hear the crunch of bacon. It sounded nice. My ears tuned it out a moment later as I focused on Saturos again.

"We can't go to Lunpa. It's not safe."

"Ershin sees nothing a bunch of thieves can do that can hinder us."

"We aren't killing every thief that crosses us, Ershin. We can't risk any of the stars being stolen. If we lose them, the quest is for naught. We might never get them back!"

"There are not alternatives, Saturos. If we do not go north, we do not progress to your goal."

"There has to be an alternative!"

"My compliments. You cook extremely well for someone with no utensils." My eavesdropping on Saturos was cut short by Alex's voice. "It's better then the fair I was eating in Vault."

"You didn't have access to a stove?"

"For the first few days, I did. However, when everyone left, the supplies stopped flowing. I am fortunate you arrived when you did. It was becoming difficult to move around town without arousing suspicion. The Xian definitely wanted a word with me." I felt like groaning. I missed whatever Saturos and Ershin were about to say.

"Sounds like a pain." Sheba noted. She didn't sound sympathetic. I could almost sense Alex's eyebrow raising.

"You don't believe so?"

"I spent four years sitting in the same room. Sounds like heaven to me, to only have to avoid being noticed too closely when walking out of my house." She retorted. "Babi'd get cranky if I spent too much time out of the room. Even if no one else knew I'd left it."

"Alas. I know of that sort of misery too." Alex muttered.

"Do you now?"

"Tell me, do you know of the Mercury Family of Imil?"

"Nope." Sheba was entirely too cheerful to state her lack of knowledge entirely. "All this is of one room and a lot of dreams." I presumed she was tapping the side of her head. It sounded like flesh hitting flesh. Alex just hummed.

"They say we hail from the Mercury Clan of eld. The Lemurians who chose to remain for the grand purpose of protecting the Mercury Lighthouse." Alex recited. "Every day was the same. Ritualistically refill the well of the lighthouse. Tend to the injured. Tend to the sick. Ritualistically empty the well of the lighthouse. Sleep. Repeat. I didn't even see the town of Imil until my eighteenth year. Until then, I'd known nothing but our cottage by the Mercury Lighthouse."

"... Then how did you leave?"

"I ran away. I haven't been home in almost four years." Alex admitted. "I met Saturos about seven years ago now. He offered me the chance and I took it. The last solar eclipse was meant to be the time. I left Imil and made my way to Vault, but… Well…"

There was no point trying to sleep further. My wing unfurled as I sat up, tail slapping the ground.

"That's when you found out the last incursion failed." I answered for him, my draconic form fading away. "Jenna, how much do I have to beg?"

"Funny as it'd be, none." I blinked as she offered me a stone plate of bacon. "How do you know that?"

"Because he spent days healing me." I answered. "I was killed in the incursion. My human body needed quite a bit of fixing."

"... but when you die you just…" Jenna's eyes widened. "Oh… Oh…"

"Yeah." I started picking at the bacon. Maybe Alex wasn't that bad. "What have you been doing since? You didn't come with us to Prox."

"Scouting and exploring, mostly." Alex admitted. "My search for a Jupiter Adept that we could use was fruitless. I'm jealous you managed to find one so fast."

"I think she technically found us." I retorted. I bit my lip. Alex was scouting the entire four years? On some level, that almost sounded wrong… I wasn't sure I knew enough to call him out on it, though.

"Who found who doesn't really matter." Alex admitted. "I spent quite some time trying to find the entrance to the Venus Lighthouse. I was not successful."

"What do you mean, find the entrance to?" I raised an eyebrow at that. Alex just raised a finger.

"One thing I've learned from my time caretaking the Mercury Lighthouse, is that the front door often isn't where you think it is." He admitted. "The conclusion I've been forced to draw was that the Venus Lighthouse's front door is a decoy. It cannot be accessed by land."

I blinked.

"It doesn't have an entrance from it's base?"

"Not that I could tell. It appears to have a door, but the door isn't really a door. It's merely a wall." Alex explained. "Unless the Lighthouse implicitly requires a Venus Adept to even enter, which it shouldn't…"

"I thought each Lighthouse needed an Adept of it's element to climb." Jenna noted. Alex nodded.

"This is true, especially with Mercury. Without a Mercury Adept, you wouldn't be able to get further then maybe three floors and the main atrium up the tower." He added. "However, the main foyer should be accessible, in theory, by anyone. If not for the fact it keeps non-Adepts out through the use of a barrier, I don't think the Mercury Lighthouse has anything that could protect its foyer from normal humans either."

"That might be true, but Mercury clearly has a function other then merely sealing the Golden Sun." Isaac quipped as he swooped in, gave his wife a kiss, and stole some of her bacon. "I reckon Venus' probably wasn't intended to be entered from what you are saying."

"It was. It's called Sailor's Rest." Sheba spoke up. "They say once upon a time, it guided sailors back to the shore of Indra."

"But it doesn't anymore?"

"I…" Sheba shook her head. "I'm sorry. My memory isn't good enough. I barely remember Lalivero anymore." I could only give her a sad frown. That her memory wasn't actually any good was becoming more and more obviously a pressure point on her psyche.

There wasn't much I could do about it, either.

"Gah! Tell me there's some bacon left." Saturos had finally joined us with a huff, collapsing by the now smoldering fire.

"You're lucky, fearless leader."

"Shush." Saturos took the plate without complaint, munching on it absently. "We're in trouble. I can't see a way out of this situation. Ideally, we'd circle around the south, let the Xian pass us, and then head north, but…"

"The plain is a bitch to navigate unseen. I don't think it can be done." Isaac noted. I gave him a quick squint.

"Peeked from above?"

"I was above the clouds. They couldn't see me." He shot back. "The Kalay Range is even less passable then we thought it was. I'm pretty sure it's hollow. One of those mountains might be a volcano."

"Wonderful." I muttered. "Can't pass the Xian on the plain. Can't go to Lunpa." I started ticking off the old paths I vaguely remembered. "Can't pass back to Kalay and circle around…" I glanced at Isaac. "What about the Lamakan Vigil?"

"... Excuse me? You're suggesting we take the Silk Road?" Isaac shot back. I nodded.

"We can get there from here. We know where the Xian are, and more importantly, where they aren't. We can probably find a doctor on the way, and failing that, we can ask the sages of Fuchin." I ticked my points off on my hand. "Literally the only downside is it takes a little longer."

"Three times as long! Felix, your saying we basically go around the Goma Range."

"... I have to agree. The time is long." Saturos muttered. "Three times… that's what, six weeks?"

"You already put it best. We can't risk Lunpa." I shot back at Saturos. "If we lose a Star, we're finished. Lunpa might have once been called the City of the Gentleman Thief, but it hasn't had that reputation since before I was born."

I wasn't about to admit I had ulterior motives. It wasn't like the resident mind reader could call me out on it right now, either.

"Then we take the plain."

"The Xian know we are here. If they aren't combing that plain right now…" I blinked as Won-Qu reformed next to us. Where had he been, anyway?

"M'lord. Me and mine hath finished our exploration. We doth believe thou canst not pass the north-east. The Xian art building a checkpoint."

"..." Saturos just turned, stood and swore. Ershin was regarding Won-Qu with suspicion. I just pursed my lips. I'd have to thank him later.

"If we're taking the plunge, we need to do it now, Saturos." I noted. Saturos just glared at me for what felt like the longest moment, before sighing.

"We don't have a choice." I hated leading him on like that. I was pretty sure Lunpa was safer then he thought it was, but I wanted to go through that desert. It might take longer, but I think it would be to our advantage.

Among other things, the Xian were here. That meant their village and temple were probably basically empty. It was honestly probably safer near their village then here.

Sheba just hugged her legs to her chest.

"What's the Lamakan Vigil?"

"It's a small pass that's basically due east of us right now. We'd need to wade the river shallows, but we'd get there tomorrow or the next day. It leads into the Lamakan Desert. It's considered a religious site, but…"

"It's the shrine of the death of Ladon." I cut in. "It's called the vigil because the Xian pilgrimage to it every summer solstice. We probably can't come back that way, but if we go now, the path will be empty."

"... That's morbid." Sheba muttered. "We're going through the desert?"

"Sounds like it." Saturos admitted. "Six weeks… well, at least we'll hopefully pick Menardi up again on the way."

"Is that the direction they headed in?" I asked. He shook his head.

"They went north and were circling around. We'll literally run into them." He answered. "I don't like this."

"Why?" Sheba raised an eyebrow. I finished Saturos' thought for him.

"If the Xian are here, they've already passed Menardi. Either they weren't fooled, or the worst has happened." I answered. "It can only be to our advantage to find out which now, while we can still potentially do something about it."

"You think if they were caught they weren't killed?"

"Menardi and Agatio are too good to merely get caught." I retorted. "Besides, the Xian only believe in summary execution for our kind. They probably shoved them in a cell somewhere at worst." Alex just laughed at that.

"You sound bitter."

"They are making my adventure shit. I'm allowed to be." I stood up at that, making my way towards Won-Qu. My legs were working a bit better, but the fatigue was still almost too much. "Won-Qu…"

"Tis fine. Hop on, m'lord." I was thankful for the seat. The vertigo was almost too much.

The speed of which we abandoned camp was almost miraculous, if I was honest. It was definitely incredible. Jenna and Isaac were entirely too practiced at this.

-​

It ended up taking the better part of a third day to reach the vigil. It was certainly not quite what I expected, a small cliff pass overlooking the great Lamakan Desert, a statue of a dragon being stabbed through by a monk with a huge spear overlooking the desert. There was leftover incense and flowers, but the food offerings appeared to have long since rotted away.

"I don't get it. For a holy place, there's not much here." Sheba spoke up, hands in her tunic.

"They worship the Goddess. Ceremony is king to them." Isaac muttered. Jenna hummed in agreement, tracing her finger over the local campfire pit.

"The soot's old. No one has been here for a long time." She noted. "I think we should probably make do without a proper fire, though."

"You want me to make a ghost-light?" Isaac asked. Jenna shook her head.

"That's even brighter, silly. Shove me your Venus Gene. I'll make some rocks glow." She shot back. Isaac nodded, gently tapping her back as he passed and started setting up the tent.

"Ghost-light?" Alex asked. Jenna nodded.

"Isaac can create the Trygon. When you combine Jupiter and Venus, you can make what's called a Ghost-Light. It's a sort of wind ball that sheds light." She answered. "But… well, its really bright. If we were making those, we might as well just make a fire and let everyone know someones up here." She clicked her fingers, and the rocks lining the pit began to glow. "Tch. Not the best…"

"Should I be able to make those?" Sheba asked. Jenna shook her head.

"Ghost-Lights are a mixed Psynergy." She answered. "You could make them working together with Felix if you had better control, but…" I tuned her out as I slid off Won-Qu's back. My muscles were about to collapse in on themselves. I was exhausted, and my body was rejecting the idea of being alive.

I was beginning to worry.

"Relax, Felix." Alex's voice was gentle, as he knelt beside me. "Take deep breaths. I'll be back once I check on Ivan."

"I'm fine."

"You can keep lying if you wish, but if I have to push this matter again, I'm setting your fiance on you." I just groaned. Alex was getting in on that too. I didn't even bother protesting. He probably knew my thoughts on this better then I did. Blasted mind healers.

"Ye shouldst stop pushing thy burdens within." Won-Qu noted. I just groaned. He was in on this too.

"Just don't."

"Thou doth owe me and mine. At least take care of thyself, m'lord. Before ye doth upset thy friends."

"Think it's a bit late for that one." I admitted, closing my eyes as I rested my back against Won-Qu. "I don't like this place."

"Thou shouldst not like it."

"You're going to tell me it's some fabled, legendary location of a past life, aren't you?"

"Nay, tis simply unpleasant."

"The rest of us that uninteresting?" Sheba asked gently, sitting down beside me. I shook my head.

"I just had nothing to say."

"He's lying." I glared at Alex as he immediately ratted me out. "He's been fatigued for days. The travel pace is too fast for him."

"... Felix…" Sheba's voice was becoming dangerous already, but she was on my left side. I just wrapped my arm around her, pulled her close, and used her head as a pillow.

"Shush. Tired."

"I would advise against sleeping yet. Which means it's doctors orders. Sheba, if you would." I let out a wince as she jammed her fingers in my side, shooting away from her.

"Sheba-"

"Doctors orders." She huffed. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"We needed to get away from the Xian." I muttered, leaning back against Won-Qu once more. "We don't have time."

"You suggested this roundabout trip. Accept we have to take time." Alex shot back. I just groaned, waiting silently as he waved his glowing blue hand over my chest. "You aren't ill. At least, I don't think you are."

"Well, that's good."

"I'll talk to Saturos. You won't survive a trip over the desert at our pace." I winced at Alex's words, as he stood back up. "We'll need to make a rest somewhere along the-"

"Lama Temple." I suggested. "It's along the north-eastern rim of the desert. It has a nearby oasis."

"Any alternatives?"

"There's also the Great Lama Cactus." I muttered, rolling my eyes.

"Is that real?"

"Surprisingly? Yes." Isaac noted, as he strode past us, dropping a blanket on top of my form. "The caravans used to tell us about it. It's the Silk Road path through the desert."

"Might not be the best path." Alex muttered. "I'll talk to Saturos." He was gone a moment later. I just groaned, letting my side rest against Sheba. She didn't pull away again.

"Felix, if you need me to carry you…" Isaac spoke up. I shook my head.

"Too obvious."

"Maybe, but I can protect you from the elements far better then Won-Qu can…"

"I'm fine, Isaac."

"You aren't." His glare told me how little he believed me. However, he didn't keep pushing the issue. Instead, he went to start cooking dinner.

Well, at least there'd be food.

[ ] Take watch with Sheba.
[X] Take watch with Isaac.
[ ] Take watch with Jenna.
[ ] Take watch with Alex.
[ ] Take watch with Saturos.

While crossing the desert…
[ ] You ride Won-Qu.
[X] You ride Isaac.

The constant travel has fatigued Felix. While this can be alleviated by riding Isaac, Isaac only has so much energy to give in a day.

 

[BlackHadou]

Ever ride a horse before?

Click to shrink...

"Nay. Me and mine art bigger then a horse."

"Sleeping on one tends to be miserable."

"Really? Tis just an animal."

"... You've never ridden a horse, have you?"

"Nay. They doth flee our presence."

Is riding Isaac something that will only prove detrimental over multiple updates? Or would it be more of an immediate consequences sort of thing? Like say if we get into a fight one day, would isaac be less effective for having been carrying us that day?

Click to shrink...

"... Isaac would be fine for the most part..."

"You sure?"

"Maybe antsy. Maybe not."

"If we got into a fight, it'd definitely influence which form he starts in."

Have you?

Click to shrink...

"It's a long way from Lalivero to Tolbi. You don't make an unwilling goddess walk the whole way. Not if you want to keep your limbs."

"Ye werert a firestarter?"

"I blasted a few of them with lightning till they got a camel, yeah."

So I'm taking this to mean that Alex's healing psynergy is mostly limited to the mind but that in addition to that he has a wealth of mundane experience and knowledge concerning healing. Are any of the elements better suited to healing or is there some kind of specialization?

Click to shrink...

"Tis the case that both Mercury and Venus doth possess healing abilities. Venus art more suited to the body. Mercury are more suited to the mind."

"Together they are a complete set, so to speak."

Maybe it's some kind of mind technique? How does Alex's "mind not being there" compare to the Wise One's puppet? Any difference?

Click to shrink...

"The Puppet Elder was obviously not alive. Alex just wasn't there at all. You could tell someone was meant to be there, since there was this sort of... hole where his mind should have been, but there was nothing."

I don't find it impossible, though doubtful, that Alex somehow never stepped foot in Tolbi and I would honestly be surprised if his search for a Jupiter adept had focused on Angara rather than Atteka (it's not his fault that all three of the games Jupiter Adepts were located along the Silk Road)

Click to shrink...

"I... won't say he's lying, but have you considered he had been to Tolbi and that the only contact he and Saturos had was by letter or something? It's not like I'd remember feeling a hole in the world if it happened years ago. Hell, even a few months ago might be too long for me to remember properly."

Out of curiosity, why call yourself a goddess?

Click to shrink...

"Father called me his little goddess because I fell from the sky one day without being hurt. It's a silly little thing, but Lalivero basically worships me as the herald of the moon."

"It's probably why they do anything Babi says, honestly. It's a little silly, all I can do is blow down things and break things. I've never been able to build something with it before."

You created your art, your paintings especially. And you did that using your power, at least after a fashion...

Click to shrink...

"Those are all mundane things. It doesn't feel the same."

"Making something that really is yours is something far more important."

"At least, that's what I think."

 

[BlackHadou]

The evening started to pass entirely too fast. I was almost positive Isaac had asked Saturos to rig the watch, since I was pretty sure I'd dozed off when the decision was made. The lights were warm, which was better then I expected. I had to wonder if Isaac was borrowing his wife's element.

Maybe I was just getting used to not feeling well.

"You really haven't changed." Isaac pointed out absently. I shrugged, poking at a glowing rock.

"What makes you say that."

"You're still the quiet, sacrificing one." Isaac noted. "Even when you should know better."

"Is that a criticism?"

"An observation. You wouldn't do anything even if I told you to lean on the pretty girl more." He shot back, hugging his legs to his chest. "… This place is oppressive."

"I said as much to Won-Qu earlier."

"I figured you felt it too." Isaac muttered. "I wish we had a fishing line."

"What, so we can fish the dunes?"

"I'm sure we could catch something." I felt a grin reach my lips in spite of everything. We probably could catch something with some effort. There were plenty of things under the surface of a desert. A lot of them probably tasted good.

"Well, I'm game if you are." Isaac just chuckled, rolling his eyes and tossing a stone in the air, the rock glowing and dancing in the night air. It reminded me of when Jenna practised her flames as a child. She always did dance little will-o-wisps to entertain herself.

"Unfortunately, I suppose we don't really have time." Isaac admitted. "How is the arm?"

"I won't say it's better, but it's not bothering me anymore." I admit. "I can't grip anything. It's… a bother."

"... Have you checked if its an issue for your whelp?"

"It is." I glanced over at Isaac. The man's face had fallen at my words. "It's… a bit mangled."

"Well…" Isaac clearly didn't quite know what to say, but he didn't recoil away either. A few moments passed, before he tossed a small bag at me. I blinked as I slowly opened it, the wonderful smell of smoked fish hitting my nose before my sight caught it.

"This is jerky."

"The last of the trout." Isaac nodded. "Consider it a welcome home present. Not much of a homecoming, but you look like you need a pick me up." I blinked at that. He wasn't wrong. I hadn't had this in years.

I shuffled a bit to sit next to him, before giving him back a piece, nibbling on my own.

"Reminds you of when we were kids, doesn't it?" I muttered. "You, me, Garet and Jenna on that little cliff, by the tree."

"Mmm. Fishing for an afternoon. Jenna and Garet smoking some jerky. Playing with toy swords and pretending we were heroes." Isaac mused. "Days long since gone, aren't they?"

"I suppose." I muttered. "We are heroes in a sense, though."

"Are we? Or are we the villains people will remember." Isaac muttered back. I shook my head.

"It doesn't matter. Heroes don't do it for the recognition."

"They do it because its the right thing to do." Isaac nodded. "I remember. Father used to say that."

"Kyle did, yeah."

"Does he still?"

"I'm not sure he really knows what the difference between a hero and a villain is anymore." I admitted. "It's a difficult line these days. Especially…"

"..." We both fell silent for a long moment, before Isaac took another bite of his jerky. "You know, we missed you. Jenna maintained you weren't dead."

"Not sure why. I didn't leave anything behind."

"She called it her intuition. I think she just didn't want to face the idea she was alone." Isaac answered. "It's difficult, I think, going from the youngest to the only. She didn't cope well in those early days."

I tried not to feel guilty about it, but I wasn't very successful.

"We didn't have a lot of choice."

"I know." Isaac muttered. "Does it scare you? That thing?" He motioned to the moon. I knew what he was actually talking about.

"A little. After what happened in the Sanctum, I'm scared to see what it'll do."

"We're going to have to find out sooner or later."

"Yeah. Just not right now."

"Not right now." Isaac nodded. "That would be for the best." He lifted up his pouch, grinning. "Remember how to play peros?"

I blinked. I hadn't seen that dice and card set in years.

"... Deal me in."

-​

Morning came too soon. I wanted to sleep more. However, sleep fled with a shake and the rumbling of the ground beneath me.

"Come on, sleepyhead. It's morning." I could probably get used to being woken up by Sheba. The smell of food was already assaulting my nose. At least we wouldn't go hungry.

"How late is it?"

"The sun has been up two hours. Saturos said we've given you as long as we can." Sheba answered softly. "Still tired?"

"A bit." I admitted. My limbs barely wanted to cooperate and the ground was honestly entirely too hard. I needed to give some thought to just sleeping as a dragon, I think. Sheba nodded at my words, patting my head almost cheekily.

"There there. Get yourself together. Your sister has food sizzling." She shot back. I nodded, my arm reaching to the side and finding my scarf. It was a nice enough pillow, but it also was one of the few things that kept my right side warm right now.

"You look better."

"The air here agrees with me." Sheba noted. "Deserts are… home." Right, Lalivero was in a desert.

"And the plains don't?"

"The plains… weren't too bad." Sheba mused, hands slipping into her tunic. "But Tolbi was so salty and unbearable, and the mountains were… hard. Very hard."

"... We'll be in the desert a few days." I noted. Sheba just grinned.

"That's fine. I'm not bothered." I could have sworn that she was on the verge of giggling.

Jenna just looked up towards me as I made my way to what passed for our fire pit. She hadn't actually lit a fire, but rather, the stone plate in front of her looked red hot. Alex was with her, a fact I wasn't sure how to feel about.

"You are still fatigued." Alex noted. I nodded.

"It…"

"You don't need to say anything, Felix. I don't need to hear how you'll power through it." Alex rolled his eyes almost immediately. "You won't power through it, by the way. Trying will just make it worse."

"We don't have time for me to sleep a week."

"No, so you'll have to rest as we go." Alex answered. "Give the man some bacon, Jenna."

"Fine, fine." Jenna just rolled her eyes. "You sure you want to cross the desert, Felix?"

"I suggested it."

"So you did." I popped the bacon into my mouth as Alex conjured some water from… somewhere. That was a handy talent. At least we would die of thirst. Whether or not that would save us was another matter entirely, though.

"The heat is bloody unbearable." Saturos was complaining already. I actually raised an eyebrow.

"You're a Mars Adept."

"I'm still capable of hating the sun." He shot back. "Gods above, this is why Menardi insisted on going around last time. I understand now."

"It's not that bad." Sheba shot back. "The heat's wonderful. Just remember to wrap your feet with some cloth before putting your boots on."

"What?"

"Do you want to turn your boots into ovens?" Sheba retorted. "I'm looking out for you here, buster."

"... Given she comes from a desert, I think maybe we should be listening to her." Isaac noted. "… I don't think Felix will be able to walk this."

"Tis not a problem. Me and mine canst carry him."

"...No." Ershin was the one to speak up, to my surprise. "I cannot carry this boy through the desert. He will cook within Ershin. So says Ershin."

"... Then we art at an impasse."

"Hardly." Isaac mused. "I'm a sand dragon."

"Isaac…" Jenna's voice was gentle, but he nodded.

"It's not an issue. We could use the extra visibility anyway." He answered. "I'll carry him. I can keep him safer from the sun then you can."

"... Tis true. Verily, we shall leave m'lord te ye care." Won-Qu nodded. I took another bite out of my bacon. That it was a desert hadn't really occurred to me until now, since I'd just assumed it wouldn't really bother anyone except Alex. That clearly wasn't the case.

"... How much of a problem is the desert?" I asked Jenna. She rolled her eyes and tossed her hair haughtily.

"In spite of blue's complaints…"

"Oi!"

"We can keep the heat off us for the most part." Jenna answered. "Though Isaac has a point. Keeping you with him makes our job a lot easier."

"... I'm that much of an issue?"

"No. The number of us are an issue, but you specifically aren't." She shook her head. "Just… Let Isaac look after you. It'll make me worry less." I bit my lip.

Well, if she was sure…

"Right. Let's do this thing." I muttered. I wasn't going to fight her on this. I didn't want to.

Isaac's back was probably a lot more comfortable then mine. Unlike me, he had a large shell on his back that acted like a sort of mini-tent. It was far nicer then my spines. His spikes were helpful in holding on, but the shell was the real savior.

You are uncomfortable.

"Your scales aren't the nicest." I pointed out. Isaac's laugh reminded me of my own. It brought back memories of a time from long ago. Isaac's scales reminded me of sand. That was the simple truth.

Jenna doesn't mind it.

"Jenna loves you. She'll forgive your flaws." I shot back. The view was nice. However, I could see what looked like a roving band on the plains. "Stay lower. Last thing we need is them working out you aren't a bird."

I doubt they will.

"Don't test it." I bit my lip. It was far more comfortable up here then on Won-Qu's back. The sun was nowhere near as warm as it was on the ground. I could see the haze of the heat from here.

Your fiance is enjoying herself.

"How are the others?"

They appear to be okay. Alex has been walking beside the boy. He is worried.

"He hides it better then most would."

I wonder if that is all there is to it. For someone who was willing to leave him to die, Alex is invested in his health.

I had given that some thought too, but it wasn't a question with answers forthcoming.

In the desert, you find…

[X] A cave to camp the evening.
[ ] An oasis to rest at.
[ ] Nothing but bitter, hot sands.
[ ] Write in.

 

[BlackHadou]

I don't suppose we can see if there are any tracks around the cave mouth from up here? Or sense any other minds lurking around the potential oasis?

Click to shrink...

"I'm a Venus Adept right now."

"... Mold says the sand is disturbed, but that usually means something is under the sand."

"An oasis is a natural spot for predators to gather. Or herbivores for that matter."

"Maybe, but I would think that humans probably travel this desert enough that monsters would typically avoid them. So says Ershin."

"That's true. We're on the Silk Road."

I don't smell anything.

Doesn't her being a Venus Adept mean she has uncontrollable life sense going right now though? Basically just as useful in our current situation. Unless that's what she means when she's passing along Mold's comment?

Click to shrink...

"You have no idea how many things live in a desert."

"... Mold says most of them are insects. I have no idea how to tell the difference."

So real quick question, since Venus element healing is healing of the body, does that mean Venus element can sense life or living things? Could Sheba sense for living things around us?

Click to shrink...

"There's too much. I can't tell the difference. I don't know how you do it."

"... Mold says its practice. I'm not sure I believe him."

She's alright now, but won't we be in the mountains after this? Pretty sure we have to pass through them to get to Imil, or under them at least, I think in the game there was a tunnel.

Though we're heading the opposite way for that right now aren't we... Should we try to plan for something there?

Click to shrink...

"Imil has a few ways there from Bilibin. We can take the mountain pass over land, or go through Bilibin cave. There is a nearby river we could travel up, but it ends up in a frozen glacier..."

"Tis not an issue. We canst deal with a little frost."

"Right. The river might be the easier way there honestly. It does mean we need to go upstream though. Last time we came back by the river and we had to go down. Alex should be able to deal with that though."

"If he canst not, we can."

"Wonderful..."

Does this have any special meaning? Can Isaac take on different types of dragon form the way we can?

Click to shrink...

That... is a good question.

"It's one with a pretty simple answer, though. The casting out of the Gods left all the Endless as mortals. Your shape implies your heritage. At least, so once said Ershin."

"Indeed. We doth believe ye may hath relation to Sa Ryong."

"It's quite interesting how different dragon lineage's interacted over the years."

I... don't know that this means anything to... wait, is this like that thing in the Wanderlust Plains?

"It is very similar... It might be worth seeing if there is a shrine to him within this desert. The added power..."

"I don't get it. It's not like it's still around, is it?"

"No. Sa Ryong left the world long ago. His power is not compatible with Felix, either. His acquisition of the Astral Gene highlights that. However, if either Jenna or Isaac could... Hehehehe. The possibilities. So says Ershin."

"I'm so lost."

Unfortunately, so am I.

"They doth mean there once lived within this desert a dragon. This dragon mayhaps left a fragment of its wishes behind. We art able to convert such wishes into power."

"So one of them would gain power like Felix did?"

"They art not quite like m'lord. Methinks it wouldst not be quite so explosive."

"But the relationship between Isaac and Sa Ryong, if they are related, might be enough to enhance whatever power he gains."

"If there is even something there."

I'm a little worried about this, Do we have any idea what Alex has been doing to him besides worrying?

Click to shrink...

"No. He's definitely healing him. Ershin has been supervising him."

"It is quite interesting. His methods do not align with how we understand Psynergy is to work."

"It's... sort of like a vortex. I wonder if I'm being sucked into it."

"That's a curious way to... put it..."

"Is it bad?"

"Usually, one describes being drawn into an Endless' destiny as being sucked in. However, you are trapped in Felix's destiny. So says Ershin."

"Tis a very strange way of putting it indeed."

"Is it related to how his mind isn't there?"

"Maybe... that was a characteristic of the Chek mediums... I don't see where the connection is though. I wish I could ask Ershin."

Can you sense any absence of life?

I'm curious, since Alex' mind isn't really there, is he really alive in the first place?

While I get that most life is overwhelming, does he standout in some way?

Click to shrink...

"I don't know..."

"... Mold says he actually looks like Felix used to. I can't tell the difference."

Not looking forward to the cold?

Was it the cold that was hard? The mountain itself? Or both?

Click to shrink...

"I hate the cold. Its so... wet too. It's like I'm being drowned in a river and turned to stone at the same time."

"She comes from a very different environment. She's probably never going to be good with tundras."

"To be fair, neither was Nina. So says Ershin."

"I'm not Nina."

"No, you aren't, but the resemblances are sometimes uncanny. Ehehehehehe."

"... Stupid tin-can."

"We wouldst not worry. In thy case, the soul and the original being art not related beyond lineage. That ye art a Jupiter Adept, and indeed, ye resemblance to Nina, doth art coincidence at best."

"You aren't making me feel better, mutt."

"Mutt? Why, we art a kirin, we doth thank ye te remember. Regardless, ye wouldst find that Ershin art wrong. Ye doth not actually resemble Nina that much. Given the curse of the Brood War, if ye did, ye and Felix wouldst hath murdered each other by now."

If such a shrine existed, where would it be?

In a cave to keep it from being buried or eroded away by the sand perhaps..?

Click to shrink...

"... Mold is saying it would be within a cave, yes. Likely guarded. He says it is 'where the Autarch would dwell'. It makes me nervous."

"... We shouldst not be surprised. At fundamentals, Isaac and Felix doth resemble each other as dragons, even if they doth pursue different aspects. That Isaac embodies a potential alternative path for the Autarch doth not surprise."

So are you saying that it's dangerous?

"Sounds like a safe bet."

His healing doesn't work like Psyenergy is supposed to though, are we sure it's psyenergy at all?

Click to shrink...

"... It isn't magic. So says Ershin."

"That means little. M'lord of old didst possess psychic abilities. Perhaps this Alex doth possess power outside of Psynergy?"

"Wonderful. That's just what we need."

Like Felix used to? Like... When? Back in Chek?

Click to shrink...

"... Mold says before Chek. He stopped feeling like it after Smog left."

What powers are there outside Psyenergy besides magic?

Click to shrink...

"That's a very difficult thing to answer. Generally speaking its a sliding scale. Either your closer to magic or psynergy. So says Ershin."

"That's... not entirely true, is it?"

"Tis not. The remaining power wouldst be conflated with demons and Dragons."

"... What is it, Won-Qu?"

"The power of those beyond. Tis normally rendered as the power of the Endless. It doth not truly equate to magic nor psynergy. Tis why m'lord canst, in dragon form, switch between both."

"So Alex would be more like that?"

"Tis would be... unusual. Humans doth not possess the capacity for such power. It doth simply impossible."

"Then he's an Endless. So says Ershin."

"We do not believe so. He art not one of the thirteen, nor doth he appear to bear lineage with the Goddesses Chosen. We art not sure how he might be Endless. There art ways to summon them, but he art too young. So sayeth Won-Qu."

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!"

So Smog what... Took something from us on the way out? Something that we had before meeting him?

Did we have that 'overwhelming Life Force' trait before Chek?

Click to shrink...

"You had it when Ershin met you, yes, even if you didn't know it."

"There are things that Felix has, and so does Sheba for that matter, they are not aware of. Their status only reflects what they are aware of."

"While such information is perfect, it is only available if it is known at all. So once said Ershin."

Is Alex actually human?

Click to shrink...

"Why wouldn't he be?"

"... Tis... not outside the realms of possibility. It wouldst be unusual though."

Huh. So like, Alex could be possessed? Or possessing another?
And later, Endless mentions and demons. So likely related to a demon of a tower in some regard.

Click to shrink...

"Demons hath been sealed since thy race engage in the Brood War. Twould be indicative of the peril of the world if one hast left containment."

 

[BlackHadou]

So you would skin the rats for their pelts rather then eat them? Seems to be a waste.

"My scarfs made of one of those pelts, I'll have you know." Really, at the end of the day, while it was nice to be flying, it was boring to be a passenger. Maybe this was more Sheba's thing, but I didn't like it. I wanted to stretch my wings and fly. "Firerats are surprisingly useful, really."

But you don't eat them.

"They taste terrible."

So you've tried.

"Once. Saturos better never find out about that." I rolled onto my back, staring into the sky above us. "They don't cook particularly well. You basically need magma to actually do it."

So we get Jenna to cook it.

"Hotter." Of course Isaac would suggest that. She was a fire dragon. Still…

The others appear to have found a trail. Should we go down?

"We should be fine to just follow for a while." I muttered. A trail in a desert. That was something strange, but not unexpected. This was the Silk Road. There must be some land marks to travel through it.

That was the reality of the Lamakan Desert, after all.

At some point, I must have dozed off, for we were rapidly descending the next time I started to pay attention again.

"What happened?"

I'm not sure. Jenna's motioning me down. Maybe they found something?

"Maybe…" I bit my lip. What could we have found in a desert that wasn't unwanted news? Were we running out of food? Had the boy taken a turn for the worst? Had w-

"Felix! Get down here! We need a medic!" Jenna's scream was entirely too loud. It ripped me straight out of my reverie. We could only need a medic if someone was badly injured. If we needed me, and not Alex, then it must have been something major to do with the body. I let out an explosive breath as I leapt off isaac's neck, drawing Mold back towards me. In that same moment, I could feel the life around us. Isaac's huge form behind me retreated back into the small form of a human.

"Jenna! What happened!?"

"I don't know! The boy just started coughing up blood!"

"M'lord. Tis likely his lungs hath failed."

"Why?"

"Tis a good question. We art not sure." I started swearing as I swept past my sister and familiar, joining Alex where he'd laid Ivan on his side.

"What can you tell me?"

"Nothing good. He's coughing up blood and I'm uncertain as to why. His mind has not particularly changed it's responses, so…"

"Felix. His mind is active." Sheba's voice was very soft. I bit my lip.

"How active?"

"He's worked out he's surrounded. I think he can see through my eyes. He's trying to use psynergy right now. I-"

"Jenna, get my mask on her and get her away. Isaac, you're on body fixing duty. Alex, step back, I need room." I drew in a deep breath. This was the first time I'd entered this form on purpose. However, the mercy of Ch'o Ryong was the only thing I could think of that might head off a disaster. "Mold! Lull! Elixir!"
Rhapsody + Astral + Sheba
"I'm here."

"On it."

"We art here."

My form began to shift immediately as I drank deep of Sheba's power. In a brief moment, as my body shifted and everyone's thoughts flashed right in front of my eyes, I had an insight into exactly what it must have been like to live like her. The information almost completely overloaded me; I was already fully formed when I finally blinked back to the world and started to focus again.
"What the hell is that?"
It occurred to me that the Storm Song Dragon was actually huge. Each of it's four mighty wings were covered in feathers, and my maw was actually protected from the world by a mighty beak. My claws were not in a shape I was used to, but it also didn't matter, for I wasn't too bothered by it. My right fore-claw remained maimed, scales twisted and torn and flesh knitted in a fashion that showed it had been ripped away at one point, but I put that thought to the side.
"What are you!?"
Breathe, boy. Do nothing but breathe and you will live.
"But I'm scared!"
The song of the Storm Song Dragon calmed me on a primal level. On another level, I realised my powers had grown, significantly, since my time as the Autarch. The very sun itself seemed to have dimmed. As I spread my wings, the earth around us had begun to chill. The sand looked almost to be turning to small grains crusted of frost.
"It's so cold…"
Just how powerful had I become?
"Is that… the next life?"
Did I even have any possibility of conceiving how to restrain myself?

I shoved those thought aside, as I drew Mold to me.

I will see you later.
"Who?"
"Don't leave me there for too long."
"I don't understand…"
I won't.
"What is that!? Get it out of me!"
The Storm Song Dragon's ability was the ultimate ability to face another dragon. Perhaps even against adepts, it could only be called the most insidious ability of all. It was the perfect armament, in the long term, for our journey.

I drew my own power as a Venus Adept to me, and I shoved it directly into Ivan. In a single swoop, I cut him off from his own element and forced his body to draw on his own power to heal himself. The boy's continued attempts to use psynergy were now turned to a purpose I actually wanted. Every time he drew on those abilities that were no longer there, he began to knit his own body back together.

Mind. Body. Soul. An adept needed all three in harmony. There wasn't much I could do for his mind. That remained Alex's job. However, I could see that his body would not give out.

Isaac, clear his lungs.

"... You can't turn back, can you?"

… You won't like my answer, so I won't.

"Jenna is going to kill you. You aren't resting like that." In a sense, he was probably right. I wasn't going to rest so long as I travelled like this, yet…

"His mind is slowing. Felix, what did you do?" Alex's voice cut me off. I considered how to respond, yet the sound of metal grinding cut me off before I said anything.

"He has changed the boy's element by force." Ershin declared. "It is a curious use of Ch'o Ryong's power. Ryu merely used it to knit everyone back together using the life surrounding us. So once said Ershin."

"Tis not how m'lord used it in days of yonder, in the war of unification." Won-Qu spoke up. "M'lord used it to invoke stillness. Magic and other abilities ceased in it's sanctuary."

"I was unaware the thirteen had given Fou Lu their blessing as well."

"M'lord sought them in the War of Unification. Tis so long ago. After the long sleep, we believe he doth lacked those abilities."

"Well, the more you know. We recall a similar ability you used against us." Ershin noted. Won-Qu nodded.

"Tis referred to as Absolution. The crushing of life force. Tis the ultimate power of an Endless. We doth once possess the ability because m'lord lent it to us. Tis not in our current skillset. We hath not possessed such in millenia." The Kirin's gaze fell on me. "We art correct in assuming ye must remain transformed?"

For some time, yes. At least until the boy's use of psynergy has repaired his body.

My answer just got a grunt out of Isaac, who finally turned Ivan over.

"I've gotten the blood out. What caused it?"

Excess psynergy use. I should have predicted this. He has been mind reading Sheba continuously since we met him. Sooner or later his mind would start ripping apart his body to fuel continued psynergy use. The fear of this happening to Sheba was why I converted her element to begin with.

"Then this is temporary." Alex noted, pursing his lips. "… We need him to wake up."

He will do so in his own time. Am I right?

"... Unfortunately." Alex's voice sounded bitter at that. However, now that I got a chance to attempt to peer in, I now understood exactly why he unnerved Sheba.

He wasn't there. At all. It was like trying to Mind Read…

"FELIX WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?"

And Jenna and Sheba were still here. I wish that she'd actually done as I'd asked. I rounded on my sister in an instant, fangs bearing as I peered down at their honestly tiny forms.

What part of take Sheba and bolt was ambiguous!?

"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU A DRAGON, MISTER!?" It occurred to me in that instant, as fire began exploding and wisping around her, that Jenna was at least as stubborn as I was. She would probably end up a dragon, yelling at me, before she was actually cowed.
"You dumb bastard! You'll never get better if you keep pushing yourself!"
Because it was needed.

I lowered my head in something approaching deference as I leaned in towards Sheba. Her hand met the crest of my head in an instant. She wasn't afraid of this one. That was nice.
"It's actually rath- Get out of my head, Felix."
Wait, you could tell?
"I've lived with being unable to stop. How you look at me is a dead giveaway."
I blinked. Last time she didn't seem like she could tell. Was I just less subtle as a dragon, or-

I looked at Jenna.
"What are you doing? God Felix is a goof."
I looked at Sheba.
"Yes, I heard that. I'm not stupid Felix. I can work out what your testing."
This was already super awkward. It was going to get worse.

Isaac, tell me you spotted somewhere for the night from up high.

"Not at all." I wanted to groan. This was going to be a terrible evening.

"You're in luck. I worked out a few things checking temperatures, big guy." Saturos grunted, rapping the side of my belly with a hand. "Keep the heat off us while we walk so I can work my magic."

You've found a cool system?

"I think so. Which means either there's an oasis or a cave system."

One of those is dangerous.

"What, exactly, is dangerous to a dragon, Felix? Nevermind that, we have three of them. If whatever is in there doesn't flee in terror, it deserves to die."

"Tis likely we will have te slow down. M'lord's body is in poor shape."

"It will be fine." Ershin's voice was blunt. "We need to focus on continuing moving. If we are left to the elements tonight, then it is likely that the boy won't make it no matter how much energy we dedicate to his health. So says Ershin." It said it with such conviction that I believed it immediately.

"I agree. Felix, if you would?" I just nodded, spreading my wings. The others started filing beneath them immediately, though Jenna just rubbed my side.

"Can't one of us do it?"

If I turn back, the boy turns back into a Jupiter Adept. I'm sure he will die.

"I hate this."

I know.

There was a lot about this to hate. I hoped it started to become better soon. However, there was no reason, really, to think that it would…

"Can I?" Sheba's voice was soft, but I just nodded, lowering my head under her arm. She heaved herself up to her perch without much effort, humming contently as she settled behind my crest. "Wow, you're feathers are soft. What's your secret?"

Being a dragon.

"Really? Girls would probably kill for something that silky."

I hope I don't get poached, then.

I lifted my head up, stretching as I started to march.

Which direction, Saturos?

"That way. It gets very cold there. Not like how your draining all the heat right now."

I am?

"Thou art a lunar dragon, m'lord. Tis natural for thy form to draw the elements of yin into thy orbit. Perhaps it is more curious that thy default element tis one of yang under thy psynergy system."

I presume it isn't under magic?

"Yin and yang, per say, are outside of the four Magic elements." Ershin declared. "They are methods of use, not elements in and of themselves. Fire under psynergy is a yang element, yet under magic it could be either. It is how they are used. So says Ershin."

"Ye art more like m'lord them we thought."

I really wish that Won-Qu would stop comparing me to him. Maybe I should expect it, given his shear age, but still…

I let out a growl as Sheba started digging her fingers into the crook of my neck.

Oi!

"Aww, you aren't like a big dog."

The hell made you think I was!?

"Well…" Sheba fell quiet at that. "Sorry. Whether you liked it or not didn't really even cross my mind."

I figured.

"... Forgive me?"

…

I didn't immediately respond, tossing my head a little to bounce Sheba.

"Oi!"

Now we're even.

"That's fun! Do it again!"

… I'm not a dog.

I just rolled my eyes. It did help pass the time.

Our pace was considerably slower now that I had to walk. It was exhausting, too. I tried not to complain, but I was sure the slower speed was noticed. However, as the sun was beginning to depart in the distance, Saturos finally found what he was looking for.

"That sandfall. We can get through it." He declared.

How?

"I'd presume we burst through the fall." Isaac declared, his sword drawn as he stepped forward. "Jenna, back me up."

"Oh, you two want to lead on this one?" Saturos asked. Jenna's wicked grin was almost devious.

"We'll smoke it out. Whatever it is." She declared, flames sparking around her. "Oi, brother, think you could give us a eddy that clears out the sand?"

I can do that.

It took far more concentration then I was willing to admit to clear out the sand. The monster on the other side was something that was quite familiar. We had faced a monster of a similar type in Tolbi.

A man's head. A lion's body. Wings and a scorpion tail. There was little doubt that the manticore before us was of the same monster family as the chimera in the arena of Tolbi. It's head raised as I ripped open the sandfall. It had clearly been sleeping, a predator waiting for the cover of night to devour victims. We might have been seriously harmed if it had snuck up on us.

Isaac charged as Jenna's form shifted, transforming into a great, ruby serpent, magma exploding from her maw in a plume. It was a fight that resembled how the Colosso would have gone if I could have transformed. Isaac's sword had screamed in the flow of magma, and the manticore was a bloody, charred smear against the sandfalls mouth in moments.

"... Holy shit." Sheba clearly wasn't quite able to comprehend what she'd seen. "H-how?"

Surprised?

Jenna's gaze slowly fell on her as the serpent glanced back at us, silently asking me for permission. I nodded. She gobbled the monster corpse down in moments, tossing the bones into the falls.

"W-well yes. We fought a chimera in Tolbi and-"

This is how most encounters with monsters go for us, Sheba. We are not the prey. We are the predators. Monsters fear and avoid us for good reason.

I gently rocked her on my head, bringing her attention back down to me.

There is precious little we can encounter in our adventure that is actually meaningfully threatening to us. Remember that, you are actually quite safe, relatively speaking, with us.

"It's always confronting the first few times." Saturos noted. "Menardi is still not used to the idea that having a dragon with us just… negates the issues of traveling in monster infested lands. When they can transform, anyway. Our adventure from Tolbi to the Vale was actually a bit unusual. I think it's the first time I've ever seen the answer to a random monster not be 'and then Felix ate it whole'."

It tastes terrible.

Jenna just spat to the side as her form shimmered ruby red, and she returned to her human form, hands smoothing out her now messy hair.

"I think I've had goblins that taste better."

Really? Goblins taste terrible.

"Exactly."

"Are you really debating the meal merits of goblins?" Sheba looked just a little green, and Alex significantly more so, the man just looking away before he started visibly retching. I just laughed in the fashion of dragons.

Sheba. I eat just about anything. Keep that in mind.

It was true, after all.

It feels cool. We're holing up here for the night?

"Seems like the best idea." Saturos nodded. "Can you fit?"

I think so.

My wings folded in as I began to crawl in. Yes, I could fit. It got somewhat bigger within.

That made me feel a bit better.

"Isaac, check the system. Take your wife with you." Saturos declared, shrugging his shoulders. "We'll use the mouth as a safe spot. I want an idea of how likely this is to get deeper."

"Got it. Take care of Felix." As he started to stride deeper in, I realised the key advantage Isaac had that we did not. The Dragon Buster glowed in the dark. He could easily see around him.

"Isn't that dangerous?" Alex asked. I shook my head.

Nothing in here is strong enough to prey on two dragons.

I believed that, sincerely, with all my heart, as I curled up on the side of the cave. I was tired and I wanted rest, and the sand was actually quite comfortable on my hide. Sheba nodded, watching me settle myself, her hands gently rubbing my maimed limb.

It actually felt nicer then I thought.

-​

"We're back."

I wasn't quite sure how long I'd dozed off. Isaac sounded a little tired, as he tossed a small bag to the side. I could see Flint, ever so briefly, before he vanished. If only for a moment, we were of an understanding.

Kindle, on the other hand, was still there.

"What did you find?"

"Not much. Whatever lives down here fled when it heard the manticore get butchered. There's signs a lot of somethings left in a hurry. The cave system goes deeper. I'm not sure what there is to find down there, though."

"Tis little to find within the dunes except mayhaps the tomb of Wyndian Kings and the shrine of Sa Ryong." Won-Qu admitted. "Neither, we presume, appeal."

"Sa Ryong? Like Ch'o Ryong?" Sheba spoke up. "Is that not… worth pursuing?"

"Only if we know its here. It is like searching for a needle in a haystack." Ershin noted. "It's not like it's shrine was ever known to us. Ryu found it in the desert."

"M'lord called it to him in Chek. We never didst discover it's shrine." Won-Qu admitted. "It doth not seem likely we wouldst happen on it."

"... Any relation to the great sand Djinni?" Alex asked. "We are in an area that resembles the stories."

"Resembles?" Jenna paused, glancing at him. "A great serpent Djinni that hides in a great cave. The entrance is where heretics and apostates were thrown for execution?"

"One and the same." Alex muttered. "Is it worth pursuing?"

"Maybe…"

"But not now. We can pursue such in the morning." Isaac declared. "Jenna and I will keep watch. If we transform, we can watch the whole night."

"You're sure?"

"I'd rather get a little less sleep then anything from deep in this place getting ideas." Jenna answered. I could agree with that.

In the morning…
[ ] You pursue the depths of the cave system.
[ ] You continue on your way.
[X] Ivan wakes up.

 

[BlackHadou]

The thirteen refers to the gods/goddesses? The divine?

Or am I missing something here?

Click to shrink...

"The thirteen refer to the original thirteen or so Endless summoned to the world. Their numbers were nine at the end of the War of Unification. At least, so once said Ershin."

"Tis correct. M'lord killed three of them in the War, and a fourth tis... a tragedy in and of itself."

"Oh?"

"Te one known to ye as the 'Lost One' tis also know as the mortal blade Godslayer. Te Endless was summoned without a proper body and died shortly after. Thy soul was imprisoned in blade and te Endless doth seek to devour Endless souls as sustenance."

"... What is wrong with old people!?"

Does being in dragon form help boost the healing at all? Does being around Sheba do so? Do symbolic actions like this help to ease wounds that are more in the soul than the body?

Click to shrink...

"Overall, it is more pleasant, but it doesn't really help. In the end, it just assists with how we feel, not how we are."

"Thy soul shalt sort itself out. Sustenance to the soul art things that doth advance relationships and emotional states. Thou wouldst do better to focus thy efforts if such was thy intent."

Is Felix could call that shrine to him, could Isaac do so for this shrine?

Click to shrink...

"The magic to do so is not known to any of us, even if we wanted to. Besides, we'd have to return to Chek. So says Ershin."

"Unfortunately, we must agree. Felix and Isaac doth not possess the talent in magic at this time te replicate m'lord's feat. Worse, Sa Ryong himself is not in the world to assist ye in such."

That's a shame, so we'd have to find the shrine by more conventional means.

Though if I understand... There's some symbology that suggests it might be close?

Can a shrine draw us to it like an adept would?

Click to shrink...

"Good question, but no. Shrines are just that, places of importance. Sa Ryong was somewhat solitary, so his shrine is likely to push people away."

"If ye looked, ye wouldst inevitably find, however, tis might not be in a reasonable span of time."

So spending more time advancing our relationship with Sheba will help repair our arm in the long run?

Click to shrink...

"Tis a long term injury. Ye willst be somewhat into thy quest when it is repaired."

"... That's... not quite true."

"Mold?"

"The Venus Lighthouse will cure it."

"What makes you say that?"

"I just... think of it as an Autarch thing. If it doesn't fix itself, lighting Venus will do it."

...So... Does 'Endless' refer to the gods or not? Are they Gods by another name? A different type of being entirely? Something related to them?

Click to shrink...

"Ehehehehehe... Ershin doesn't quite remember how to really explain it."

"Tis... simpler then that. It doth easy to just call them Gods, but it tis simpler. Endless are those from outside. They doth not hail from this world, thus they art not bound by many of its laws. All Endless possess magic naturally, unlike mortals, who doth needs learn such things. Felix, Jenna and Isaac claim direct descent from the Endless Ladon, who in the time me and mine remembereth, was separated into Fou Lu andst Ryu."

"Reincarnation was somewhat involved, though."

"This art correct. Ryu upon becoming Ladon, having absorbed m'lord, choseth te cast out the Endless. At the time of the reunion of Fou Lu and Ryu, the number of Endless was none."

"Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on your point of view, the art survived and more summons occurred."

"Indeed. Towards the end of tis life, Ladon choseth to summon himself from the beyond. Tis perhaps the strangest instance of summoning, a mortal summoning their own self as an Endless. At that time, tis when the Dragon God Ladon as ye know in myth was born."

"The Goddess would have been summoned at this time then?"

"Tis was in response to her summoning that Ladon doth summoned himself. Ladon and thy Goddess Myria hath always been at odds."

"Then the Brood War is the end result of centuries of resentment following from that?"

"Tis the case, yes. An Endless cannot be killed permanently, only banished, without possession of thy sword Godslayer. Where tis weapon is, we doth not know. M'lord had it whenst he chose to sleep, and since it doth found use against m'lord briefly, but after the casting out of Endless, we hath lost track of it completely."

"It might not exist anymore. So says Ershin."

"Indeed. However, something te remember. Endless art not mortal. We doth call them dragons in deference of their forms, but for Endless, these forms occurred over time as they grow strong."

"Endless have no limit of power. As time passes, so too do they grow. In fact, this is what makes Felix and Isaac scary."

"Indeed. A-Tur saw it too. Ryu and Fou Lu's age art of thy benefit. Whilst it mayeth take time te come into ye own, thou hast access to power Endless doth otherwise consider inconceivable. As far as Endless are concerned, they art the eldest."

"There also is the power of the Yorae Dragon to consider. So once said Ershin."

"Aye. Te power te throw a pebble and divert a stream. Te power te defy destiny and fate and reshape the tapestry of the future. We shalt see if ye actually possesseth such power."

"... This sounds like nonsense."

"Such is the way of such things, lass. Te unlikely te make sense to ye, for ye art one who such things mean little. For those caught in the destiny of the Yorae Dragon, true free choice art a thing that exists, for the Yorae Dragon doth obliterate such things as fate. If Felix doth prove who we doth believe, then such a concept at no point whilt apply."

So a god is what happens when a mortal summons their self as an Endless?

I presume that only works if the mortal is a reincarnation of said endless...

Or... Something...

To be honest? I don't get it at all. The answer seems to be 'yes, except no, except yes.'.

Click to shrink...

"... Tis not that complicated."

"Let me summarise. If you were summoned to this world, you would be Endless. So says Ershin."

"Whether ye calleth them God or Endless tis irrelevant. Both refereth to the same thing."

So wait aren't we an Endless then? Or descended from/reincarnated of one?

Click to shrink...

"This hath been commented on repeatedly that yes, ye doth are descended of one. Given the abilities ye doth possess, such heritage hath bred true."

"... We've been to Infinity. We're probably more Endless then human at this point..."

"Doth ye say something, m'lord?"

"... Nothing."

"..."

If we press you you'll just be evasive I presume...

What's on your mind Sheba?

Click to shrink...

"Infinity is... the place between worlds, I guess?"

"Explaining it is a bit pointless. Logic as we understand it doesn't apply there."

"Humans can't exist there. Humans don't exist there."

"It is symbolic of our im-"

"I don't want to hear anymore."

"... Sorry."

Ah, Sheba is upset that Felix is immortal now. That makes sense, even if she hasn't settled into love (yet), she's still so swept up in him she basically wants to travel with him forever.

Welp, we'll have to see about making a pit stop in Lumeria I suppose. Might not be immortality quite, but it could be at least a few centuries if Felix can figure out how to make the Draught like his past life.

Or is it about Felix being more and more alien to the world? Less we can do about that, but I think the only thing that would actually take him out of the world is him and Isaac needing to go full Ladon to tear Myria out of reality.

Click to shrink...

"No. You were... right... the first time."

"Tis not that big a deal."

"Shut it, mutt."

"Thou art worrying over nothing."

It was like trying to Mind Read what?

Click to shrink...

"A black hole."

"It's be easier to mind read Infinity."

Related, do we have any advantages/skills/powers that'll come in handy when exploring caves?

Click to shrink...

"Isaac and Felix's life sense might be helpful to a degree. Beyond that, Isaac's dragon form should still be able to dig, so we could just use him as a glorified mole."

"Thanks..."

What kind of blessings/powers does Sa Ryong grant?

Click to shrink...

"We doth not know. He tis not grant such power to m'lord willingly. Such as it is, beyond power, me and mine hath not actually witnessed it."

"When Ryu used it, it allowed him to control mud and sand, but by the time we gained it, we basically never saw a desert again. So says Ershin."

"It doesn't sound like it was very useful."

"It would have been if we'd met him months earlier!"

Actually, now that I think about it, what if Alex is using magic like the laughing tin can and the dogs to obscure his thoughts? Or alchemy or whatever it's called?

Click to shrink...

"Can Alchemy even do that?"

"Tis not out of the realms of possibility, but tis would be suspicious. How couldst he use it whilst it is sealed?"

"... I mean, if he just uses himself as the energy source..."

...What if he's drawing power from the Mercury Lighthouse? His business has been rubbed all over it for years, hasn't it?

Click to shrink...

"Is that even possible?"

"They werert not designed with such in mind. Tis the case the Mercury Clan didst contribute to thy construction, but for such to be true..."

"What?"

"Tis would mean the seal on Barubary never existed. He doth possesses the means te leave his tomb at any time."

"... He might not even be there?"

"If thy supposition tis true? Yes."

 

[BlackHadou]

"You're still awake." Sheba's voice was quite gentle, but it showed that she hadn't chosen to sleep yet, either. Jenna was towards the other edge of our little camp, transformed into that large, serpentine dragon to keep an eye on everyone. Isaac had dozed off against her belly, but he would be swapping places with her in time.

I am.

"You should be asleep." Sheba noted. I just snorted ever so softly at that, lowering my maw closer to her. She reached up and rubbed her hand along beneath my chin.

You say that like you shouldn't be.

"I am not to be emulated." She retorted with a small grin, her hand obviously finding what she was looking for. "Why is that scale missing? It's not like your arm."

It's where my reverse scale was. It doesn't just grow back like the rest.

"So it's just gone?"

Sort of. It'll grow back one day.

I was glad she couldn't read minds right now. If she could, she'd probably dig more out of me then I really wanted. It must be difficult, being privy to everyone's secrets. Sheba didn't seem to struggle with it, yet the temptation to just leaf through her head was just…

"I see." Sheba's voice was almost like a sing-song, as she hummed and rubbed at the missing scale. "Well, if you don't want to tell me, that's fine."

You know?

"Jenna told me." Sheba admitted. "If it was just nothing, it'd have grown back by now, wouldn't it?"

Probably. I'm not sure Jenna is necessarily an authority on such. She only ever had one.

"So where's your second, Felix?"

You have it.

Sheba paused at that, turning and leaning in against the side of my head, as if to try and keep our conversation private. I'm not sure why she bothered. It's not like the others could hear me unless I let them.

"So that's your second, huh? You gave away your first mask, too?"

No. I don't know where it ended up. I lost it years ago.

"During the Vale incident?"

Yes.

Sheba nodded, humming to herself as she pulled away a bit, gently grabbing my right claw and draping it around her.

"I see. So it's not like you just gave it away."

You're the first I've given it to.

"Good." I just rolled my eyes at that. She was entirely too protective. Or maybe the word was possessive.

I was a dragon, so I probably couldn't give her too much hassle for it.

"Do you regret it?"

Do you think I do?

"I'm not sure." Sheba admitted. "You're harder to get a read on then, say, Saturos."

Is that a good thing?

"Of course it is. He doesn't like me a lot." Sheba retorted cheekily. "He thinks that your going to abandon the quest for me."

That seems a bit silly.

"I thought so too." Sheba hummed, hands massaging the scarred flesh of my arm. "Then again, he probably doesn't realise that I want to…" She trailed off, but I understood what she meant. Sheba didn't intend to stop following me just because we had lit Jupiter. In the end, she thought being around me was probably the best way to find out whatever it was she wanted to learn, in the end.

You know, they say Anemos is on the moon.

"I know. I'm curious how we'll get up there."

One day, maybe.

"One day." Sheba leaned back against me, closing her eyes. She seemed more content now that she'd gotten that off her chest. It was, perhaps, the only time I felt brave enough to take a quick peak in her mind.
"I'm glad. Also, you aren't that subtle, Felix."
… You figured huh?

"I've been using it constantly for my whole life, Felix. It's pretty easy to guess."

I see. I'm sorry.

"Don't be. I don't mind that much." Sheba's voice was soft. "Just… stay at the top, and I won't be mad." I blinked.

Is that permission?

"Well, it's not like I don't read yours all the time." Sheba shot back. "I just…" I just silently draped my wing down, curling up to give her a place to rest.

It's fine. Thank you.

"You're welcome."

-​

"Felix. Felix wake up." I let out a groan at the shaking of my side. Sheba was awake. That much was clear immediately. "The.. there's a problem."

What do you mean, there's a problem?

My brain could barely keep up, but Sheba was already pulling herself free of my limbs, now that I wasn't resisting her. I blinked as I cast my gaze across the cave. Then I realised what had happened.

Isaac and Alex were beside a body. Their mouths were moving.

Isaac?

He just motioned for me to come over. I started to uncurl, but Sheba's hands grabbed my maw.

"Turn back. He's awake." She whispered. "I… I don't…"

She wasn't coping with the idea of him being nearby. Especially if he was about to be in her mind again. I nodded, before I cast my gaze about again.

Jenna, grab Won-Qu and take Sheba hunting.

"You're sure?"

Better then her being here.

I waited for them to leave before I started to make my way across the cave, my form rippling as I returned to being human. Sheba would probably be leaving the boy's range in short order.

I had my knife on me. Good. Just in case.

"How is he?" I asked as I walked towards Alex and Isaac. The boy's eyes snapped straight up to me. They resembled the amethysts that were Sheba's eyes. Was he an Anemos, or just descended from them?

"He is awake." The boy shot back. "Where am I? What's going on?"

"You guys didn't answer anything?"

"Given the first thing he did was try to bite me, I figured you would want to deal with this." Alex admitted. "For someone who's body was ripping itself apart yesterday, he looks surprisingly healthy."

"Figures. Give us some space, please." Isaac and Alex both looked at me strangely, but I just shooed them off with my hand, taking a seat in front of the boy. "I understand you have questions, but getting answers is contingent on you doing something for me, first."

"Why would I do anything for you?"

"Because you have no choice. You are alone here." I answered bluntly. "I don't want to be your enemy, but if you aren't cooperative, then I have a problem that will have to be solved only one way."

"You're threatening to kill me."

"You're threatening the life of someone dear to me." I retorted. "Let's start from the beginning. My name is Felix. I'm the dragon you were trying to find in the Vale. I am the dragon that you got attacked over by one of my companions." His face fell and his eyes widened. It was as if the gravity of the situation struck him all at once.

"You're the one the Xian were looking for."

"Yes. Sheba ripped her way into your head protecting me." I answered dryly. "Which means yes, I know your name, Ivan." I could feel the little splinter dig against my head. He was trying to get in. I closed my eyes, called on Mold, and let him in.

Whatever he was looking for in my head was probably forgotten as the Autarch crushed him inside with no hope of escape. He was not as strong as Sheba, nor was he allowed to live in my head without rent. He was, however, far more skilled. I could keep him from leaving, but there was no chance I could actually keep him out.

"Sheba's the girl."

"The one whose head you've been invading, yes."

"She tried to kill me."

"You tried to kill me. If we're going down this route, then all of us either have blood on our hands or are ready to dirty them." I answered dryly. "We've spared no small amount of effort to ensure your survival. Take that as evidence of our intentions, if you will. It'd be annoying to kill someone we spent so much effort saving."

"But you want me out of her head."

"It isn't negotiable." I noted. Ivan stared at me for a very long moment. Then he finally nodded.

"I suppose you want proof."

"Sheba will be able to say if you kept your word. I don't think there's any need to force the matter." Mold let him go, and I felt the splinter recede. It was certainly nice, to have my mind back to myself. "Here, it'll make you feel better." I pulled a small bottle from my pouch. Ivan regarded it suspiciously, as he popped the cork.

"It's sweet."

"Honey water." I answered. "Soothes the throat. You look like you could use a meal, and we have some friends hunting right now."

"I don't get it. Why save me?"

"Why kill you?" I asked back. "You weren't really in the way, just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Besides, Alex was invested in you. I don't know what you did for him, but…"

"The blue haired guy? I didn't really do anything. I just gave him a place to stay." Ivan muttered. "Master Hammet had to rush back to Kalay, so I was left in charge while I looked for the rod. It wasn't really anything personal."

"You'd be surprised." I noted. "I don't think many people have put themselves out for Alex before." I reached out, seizing his shoulder as I started to look him over.

"Oi!"

"Stay still. I need to make sure you didn't heal something wrong yesterday." I muttered. "Last thing you want is to discover you're missing a kidney."

"Has… that happened before?"

"Never get my father drunk." I rolled my eyes at the memory. "You messed up your shoulder. Give me a moment to fix it. Otherwise you'll know all about it when we cross the desert."

"The desert!? Just where are we?"

"Somewhere in the middle of the Lamakan Desert. We passed left the Vigil yesterday."

"What could you possibly be- Oh, your avoiding the Xian."

"Yes. We need to get to Bilibin. This was the safer route." The boy was very bright. That much was true. "What about you? There's more to you then you are saying."

"There's not much to say. I am Master Hammet's lead student and merchant apprentice. I was in Vault because someone needed to keep it running." Ivan answered. I rolled my eyes.

"If you were keeping it running, the Xian wouldn't have been able to pressure you into going to the Vale." I noted. Ivan just snorted.

"Don't blame me for a war starting to the south." He shot back. "The Xian offered protection for Vault and more food for something that honestly was a trifling, or at least, so I thought. There's no hard feelings, but…"

"I understand." I pursed my lips. "Alex, did the Xian ever uphold their end of their bargain?"

"And what was that?"

"That they'd protect Vault and feed it." Ivan spoke up. His voice was far softer, nowhere near as aggressive. Alex nodded.

"I believe so. Food was certainly more common after they returned from the Vale." Whether he was telling the truth or not did not really matter to me, as I settled by the fire.

"Saturos. This is Ivan. Ivan, our leader, Saturos."

"How much does he know?"

"Safe to say he knows everything meaningful. He's much more skilled then Sheba at entering unnoticed." I answered.

"You still caught me."

"So?" Saturos just crossed his arms, considering his options.

"This is becoming a problem." He muttered. "This is a loose end that can't stay loose."

"So you're going to cut off my head?" Ivan shot back. Saturos shook his head.

"Well, at least we don't need your fiance."

"You'd trade a Jupiter Adept that's cooperative for one we're coercing?" Mold's voice cut in, expressing my opinion straight to Saturos. He seemed to consider it, for a very long moment, before Temper flickered into existence.

"We will discuss this later. Before we come to blows over it." I nodded at that. Saturos seemed about as eager for that discussion as I was. However, the situation was not exactly tenable.

"Do you trust him?" I asked. Saturos shook his head.

"I have no reason to believe in him. Nor he to believe in us." He admitted. "However…"

"Stop acting like I'm not here. You're going to Bilibin. We can at least help each other there." Ivan spoke up. I blinked.

"Are you trying to bargain?"

"It's only bargaining if you don't have anything the other wants." Ivan shot back. "No, we're negotiating. I need to find Master's rod, and you are heading where I think it is. I can help you get through the checkpoints on the Silk Road. It's a win-win."

"... We're being extorted." Saturos noted. I just groaned, putting my hand to my head. He wasn't necessarily wrong, either. Ivan had us already. Unless we just slit his throat, he was just going to learn more, too.

"What makes you think we need to get through the checkpoints?" I asked. Ivan's snort turned into something resembling laughter.

"Everyone is looking for you, dragon." He shot back. "Without me you can't get through the checkpoints. You'll be stopped and found out before you pass Xian." He paused for a moment, before shaking his head. "Maybe you need something in good faith, then. I can help you get a few days of accommodation at Lama Temple."

"And why would we want that?" Saturos asked. Ivan's eyes twinkled.

"Because, Grand Master Hama is a master of Chi and a Jupiter Adept. If anyone can teach your… fiance control, it's her." My eyes narrowed. Ivan was bargaining directly with me now. He was a cheeky bastard.

"... That costs us time. We don't have time." I noted. Saturos, however, just scratched his chin.

"... No. I think that's a worthy stop." He admitted. "Especially if… Felix. A word."

I just groaned as we shuffled away from the others. Well, this was earlier then I expected, but maybe it was time to take the plunge.

"You don't approve. I know."

"You don't need my approval. I need to know you're going to see this through."

"Has anything given you reason to think otherwise?"

"Before this quest, you weren't engaged. I would have ignored it if you didn't seem to be as keen on her as she is becoming with you." Saturos shot back, as we started to walk deeper into the cave system. The walls were strange, as if they turned from stone to crystal.

Why?

"We aren't about to stop, Saturos. I promised her we'd go to Anemos."

"You also have a long time to do it in. She's still young. You could easily settle down for a few decades before-"

"Saturos, are you looking for a reason to distrust her, or is something else actually your worry? She thinks you don't like her. If I can't trust both of you to have my back, then I can't trust either of you with it." I shot back. Saturos blinked.

"... I didn't think you remembered that one."

"I do." I buried the sting in my gut. That was a memory I'd rather leave buried. "So which is it? You trust Karst and I with your back. Can I trust you and Sheba with mine?" He met my eyes, and we stared for the longest moment.

"She won't cause you to settle down?"

"I doubt she'd stay in one place anyway, and do I look like the roosting kind to you?"

"I'll hold you to that."

"Feel free. We aren't stopping until the lighthouses are lit. It's what we set out to do, after all." Saturos finally nodded, looking away.

"Then we stop at Lama Temple."

"Just like that?"

"If she's staying, then it's in our best interest to get the knowledge needed to teach her control. Especially while the boy is here."

"You don't like him."

"Him? I have no issue with. What he represents, less so. He has no real loyalty to our cause." Saturos admitted. "He has no reason to stay if someone offers him a better deal. He may know of the plight of the north, but it clearly doesn't weigh on him."

"Perhaps not yet." I admitted. "But maybe we could win him over. A merchant would be quite useful."

"Maybe, but not for the moment." Saturos trailed off. "You feel it too, don't you?"

"That this cave is strange? Yes. It's… like something is waiting to be seen." I muttered.

"We're going to have to start considering how many detours we can afford." Saturos mused. "Even if they have all proven valuable thus far…"

"I wouldn't call Chek valuable."

"Ershin, misgivings aside, has proven worth its weight in gold." Saturos shot back. "Even if you ended up carrying a mad dragon, Chek taught us some valuable things."

I just nodded, sniffing. Now I realised why this place felt like it needed to be explored.

It smelled like ho-

"Oi! Stay the damn hell out, buster!" The sound of Sheba's voice dragged me out of my reverie. I just groaned.

"I suppose I should go and split them up before Sheba murders him." I muttered. Saturos just snorted.

"If she kills him, it's self defence as far as I'm concerned." He answered. "Check that she is okay. We'll make the boy walk."

"That could slow us down."

"Maybe so, but we need to give the married couple a rest. They've barely slept and I don't want another you." Saturos answered, turning and walking back to the others. I just sighed. He was right, but he didn't have to put it that way.

Returning to the camp, I just slung an arm around Sheba's shoulders and dragged her away from Ivan before she started swinging.

"Oi! Let go! I-"

"Is he out of your head?" I asked pointedly. She glared at me, huffed, and finally nodded.

"Yes."

"And you aren't in his head?"

"You're going to tell me not to be?"

"No more then you have to be, yes. We need him for the moment." I answered. "He's offered to secure a teacher for you in exchange for passage to Bilibin. We've decided we're going to accept it."

"Why?" Sheba asked. "He could just be-"

"He is using us, Sheba. We're using him too. Don't make the mistake of thinking that right now we are friends. We aren't." I answered her question before she could actually ask it. My hand found her shoulder as I looked down into her eyes. It was easy to forget that we weren't the same height, since I spent so much time as a dragon.

"You're okay with that?"

"Not everyone we met was going to be a friend." I hummed. "But we just have to make the most of it."

"... Right." Sheba just nodded at that. "I'll… try not to hurt him."

"That's all I ask." I rubbed her shoulder. "How do you feel?"

"A lot better." Sheba admitted. "I didn't realise how uncomfortable having someone in your head was until I couldn't get him out." She winked at me. "You put up with it far better then I do."

It wasn't until we walked back to the rest that I realised that I'd simply gotten used to her being there.

[X] Explore the depths of the caves. (This will delay you)
[ ] Make straight for Lama Temple.
[ ] Stop for the evening at an Oasis.

 

[BlackHadou]

The sea?

We've never really lived near the sea have we? Unless you count the ice floes around Prox...

Click to shrink...

"I would suspect Felix is half-remembering something from another life."

"It's not uncommon for the various Ryu's to have lived near the ocean. So says Ershin."

"That doesn't mean it's safe or even that we want to pursue it. Felix won't appear to be Ryu to a lot of those old creatures, but rather Fou Lu, and that relationship tended to be more antagonistic."

"Tis more likely to be the Peist."

The Peist? Some kind of sea-dragon?

Click to shrink...

"Tis the sea dragon that Fou Lu adopted during the War of Unification and doth return to assuming during his war with Ryu."

"Should we be concerned?"

"Tis considered an omen. One of fortune and misfortune in equal measure. M'lord doth adopted the form shortly prior to being hexed."

"... Felix isn't going to turn into another crazy dragon is he?"

"Ye canst rest easy, lass. M'lord tis not compatible with the Peist. Tis not like te Dragon Genes ye use to adopt the form of a Dragon. Rather, tis closer to the Autarch. Thy wouldst find the Peist hath its own will."

"Then it's protecting something."

"Perhaps."

 

[BlackHadou]

"Surely you don't intend to just… travel in the light."

I wasn't sure if I liked or disliked Ivan. About a minute after the suggestion was made to break camp, he had spoken up as if we'd all grown multiple heads. Saturos just shrugged, as he polished his sword off to the side.

Probably to look threatening.

"Are you telling us not to?"

"How do you not bake alive? Wait, no, going by a few of you, you are baking alive, you're just good at ignoring it." Ivan just groaned, his gaze falling on Sheba. "You stop looking smug, just because you're used to it, doesn't mean they are."

"They made me march through a mountain. Fair is fair." She shot back. Ivan just stared for a long moment, before shaking his head.

"No, I'm insisting. We travel at night." He declared. I blinked.

"You're insisting."

"Yes, and you of all people should listen, given you are barely walking straight." He shot back, pointing at me imperiously. Sheba just grinned. She was enjoying this entirely too much.

"I'm fine."

"No, you aren't. You aren't leaving this cave until the sun is down, and that is final."

"You really aren't in a position to be making de-"

"I'm with him." Whatever else I was going to say died on my throat as Jenna spoke up. "No matter what Ivan actually thinks, he's right. You can't keep up this pace. You overslept by three hours today. Yesterday it was five. What will it be tomorrow if you keep pushing yourself?"

"... Saturos-"

"If we have to take it slower, then we do so." He answered softly. "If Ivan thinks we should slow down, then really there's only one person he has in mind. Himself. Which means if he's using your health to justify it, then he thinks your condition is detrimental to his well being."

"Tch. Traitor." I just sniffed, looking away. "Fine. I guess we wait for tonight."

"Good." Ivan mused, his fingers wriggling together as he formed a small temple beneath his chin. "At last, reason is found."

"I should note that Felix is extremely good at ignoring his own health." Ershin spoke up. "I'm uncertain which of his ancestors he got that from. They were all exceptional at ignoring their own health."

"Tis not a easy thing, te ignore one's own safety." Won-Qu hummed. "We doth suggest that mayhaps Ivan should be kept long term."

"Not you too."

"We win, Felix. Deal with it." Sheba just giggled to herself, resting her cheek on her hand. "Besides, what did you say yesterday? You don't have natural predators? What difference does the night make then."

"... Are you going somewhere with this?" I asked. Sheba grinned, leaning in to my ear.

"Night is when everything in the desert wakes up." She answered. "If you were going to hunt, that'd be the time." With that, she just danced away again. Ivan was grinning entirely too much.

"You know, I have a lot of w-"

"I will throttle you. Deal or no deal." I huffed, as I grabbed my sword. "Fine, whatever, I'm going to explore this cave."

"You should rest." Jenna noted. Isaac just shook his head.

"Do you think something is there?"

"Don't know. I'm just sating my curiosity." I answered. The King's Sword could stay here. I couldn't draw it one handed anyway. My dao, on the other hand, found it's way to my side.

"Isaac, Jenna, watch the camp." Saturos spoke up.

"You trust us with Ivan?"

"Course I do. Besides, you know the area better then I do. We could use a map. You can do that, right, merchant apprentice?"

"Excuse me, I am a merchant in my own right." Ivan sniffed. "Won't take long. I just need to find the bearing from the Vigil and I can work out where we are."

"Please do. I'd rather not be marching into the nether without an idea of where the desert ends. Isaac is too conspicuous a lookout." Saturos answered, grabbing his sword. "Shall we?"

"Don't trust me on my own?"

"Call it professional curiosity." Saturos answered. "Ershin, you're with us."

"But the merchant is so interesting. Ershin wishes to understand how his power is different from Sheba's!"

"Study the brat later. Alex gets first dibs, anyway." Saturos shrugged. Sheba just stared between us for a long moment, before I gave her a nod.

There wasn't a need for anything else. She followed us deeper into the cave without another word. Each step revealed a little more about the system we were within, or rather, what it was and wasn't.

It was not natural. The sapphire of the walls gave way to amethyst. I was sure I could hear the sound of the sea as we went deeper.

"Your face is getting green." Saturos noted. "Should we turn back?"

"No, I just…"

"He hears the sea." I almost cursed at Sheba. She spilt the beans immediately. "The crystals in the wall are singing to him. It sounds…"

"You can hear them?" Ershin asked. Sheba shook her head.

"I can hear what Felix is hearing when I peak in. I don't actually hear it." She admitted. Ershin nodded.

"It's a pity. At first, I thought this might be where Sa Ryong's shrine slept. However, we appear to be entirely too far… well, in the old world, it would have been East. Now, I'm not so sure. So says Ershin." Ershin answered.

"Then what is here?" I asked. Ershin shook it's head.

"Nothing, particularly, rests here." Ershin admitted. "You may feel like it does, but nothing actually sleeps here in the sense of the Endless."

"... Then if something is here, it's something else entirely." Saturos hummed. "It reminds me of the crimson cavern. Do you think these react to psynergy?"

"Maybe." I lifted my hand, letting some of the energy within me dance on my fingertips. The crystals answered in kind, light dancing across the walls. "Wow. They're alive."

"Alive?" Sheba blinked. "Then the song is… actually a song?"

"I think so." I muttered. "They… aren't Venus aligned, but they answer my call. That means they must be fed by Venus."

"Mercury is fed by Venus." Saturos muttered. "And so from the bounty of earth does the bounty of the sea spring forth." He shook his head. "No wonder it affected you so… but…"

"Why didn't Alex respond at all? That is your question, correct?" Ershin spoke up. "I have suspicions, but I do not believe that Alex is an Adept in the same sense you are. All Adepts descend from the quintuplets of Ladon. Felix also claims descent from the first son. Sheba claims descent from another child still. However, I believe Alex developed psynergy and his status as an Adept from another source. These crystals do not sing to him in the same way they sing to Felix."

"... It's more then that." I muttered. "Elixir feels like he's home."

"Home?" Saturos raised an eyebrow, however, Ershin merely laughed nervously.

"C-can you… repeat what he said exactly?"

"Uh… something like 'this doth feel as our place of rest'." I repeated. "Why?"

"... We may not want to continue."

"Ershin?"

"That sounds suspiciously like what Ryu said before we encountered Fou Lu's tomb. We may not wish to go deeper. There might be nothing more but pain beneath."

"No. No sucheth thing are beneath here. We believe we and ours wouldst only find nourishment."

"... No. I want to keep going." I answered.

"Felix, remember Chek?"

"Then I'll trust you to pull me out of the fire. I want to see it." I muttered, as I kept striding deeper into the caves. Deeper and deeper, until I found the mouth of a cavern and-

My breath hitched. I felt at home. The crystals morphed into great spires, deep within the earth. It was like a great crystal castle within the depths of the desert, hidden beneath the sands. I could see in the far distance, humanoid forms jumping and gliding from tower to tower on great feathered wings.

I could feel my hand shake. What was this place?

"Alas. Our fears were naught at all." Ershin admitted. "That is interesting. It seems some of the custodians still live."

"Custodians!? They have wings!" Sheba hissed. Ershin just laughed beside us.

"They're Wyndians." Saturos spoke up. "The lost tribe. The dead tribe."

"Clearly not dead." Ershin grinned. "Indeed, it seems we can no longer speak of them in the same breath as the Anemos, for they yet live."

I didn't speak. I couldn't speak. I could feel a dozen memories bubble just underneath the surface, and then they were all gone in that same instance. I could feel Mold's sorrowful moan, as he settled atop my head.

"Maybe we shouldn't have come here."

"Is that a problem?" I asked. The Djinni shook his head, but said no more.

"Do we want to check it out?" Saturos asked. I bit my lip. I really wasn't sure how to answer that. I wanted to look, but at the same time, the part of me that wanted to look definitely was not me.

Sheba's hand found it's way inside mine. It was warm. I didn't realise how cold and alone I was feeling until she did that.

"Come on." Her words were gentle as she started to lead me forward. "At least let's see the gate." I found myself nodding in spite of myself, as we all began to make our way towards the gate of what must have been a castle town. My eyes kept catching sight of the wyndians, and after a moment, I realised that they were no longer quite as the wyndians of the stories.

Where the wyndians of eld were gifted of feathers, these wyndians wings actually had fur. From a distance, they'd looked no different to the wings of a bird, but as we got closer, they became more clear.

As we approached the gate, a pair of what I could only assume were knights crossed their spears before us, as if following some ancient protocol. I felt a lump in my throat.

"H-Halt!" And like that the illusion shattered and the lump in my throat disappeared. They sounded terrified, as if they had never been tested as guards before. "W-Who goes before the great bastion of Wyndia?"

It took only a moment for Saturos to double over laughing. Ershin joined him a moment later.

"I'm sorry." Even Sheba seemed to be hiding a grin. "You aren't a convincing guard at all. Too much tremor in your voice." The guards glanced at each other, before they pointed their spear tips, ever so shakily, at us.

"A-Are you insulting us?"

"We carry the proud line of the Knights of Elina! We will not b-"

*Ba-dump.*

*Ba-dump*

"You're Ryu, right?"

"I hate to ask this of you, but can you leave the Godslayer behind?"

"Thank you. I will never forget this."

"Ryu?"

"She won't live long enough to forget our names."

"What do you mean?"

"She's one of us. Humans are so cruel."

I blinked. I wasn't sure what had happened. Sheba's hand was still firmly in mine, but she was carrying on the discussion with the knights as if nothing had happened at all.

"Please, we mean no offense. We took refuge above and we followed the song down here."

"Impossible. The Song of the Peist can't be heard by humans. Tell of the truth, girl, which of the Four Guardians do you call master?"

"I am Peist." My voice was soft when I cut in. "I want to go in." I wasn't sure when I had transformed, but my wings stretched and my tail swished as I assumed the form of Force. The two knights froze at the sight of me.

"F-forgive us, m'lord." One of the knights bowed immediately, while the other just stepped back nervously. "We… there are precious few left. We have little to offer."

"That's okay. I'm not here to take. I just want to see something." I answered. "Is this… where she was interred?"

"You speak of Lady Elina, correct?"

"Yes."

"You speak true. Follow the central path. We ask you… not speak with the others. You might give them the wrong impression." The knight answered. I nodded.

"Thank you." My form melted away as the knights opened the door, a horn blowing in the distance. Sheba just nudged my side.

"You okay?"

"I will be." I muttered. Ershin said not a word as I passed it, but as I caught sight of its eyes, I saw nothing but sorrow. "You remember, don't you?"

"More clearly then you, I'm afraid. I feared this was where it was, but I didn't wish to confirm it. The Peist is a omen of both fortune and misfortune. I suspected from the moment you mentioned it's song."

I nodded. I wasn't mad at the tin-man. Rather, I understood a fragment of the depth of it's sorrow. I was protected from the feelings within me by over a dozen reincarnations. For Ershin, this pain was one it still remembered.

We strode forth, and followed the path. After some time, we finally found what I sought. A great crystal, within it, a corpse perfectly preserved. She was blond, with pink, fluffy wings, and wearing a beautiful blue dress. Her legs simply couldn't be seen.

I knew there weren't legs to be interred. Not after the horrors she had experienced.

"Odd. Humans rot when slain." Saturos muttered. "You'd think that'd apply even to Wyndians."

"She wasn't human when she passed." I muttered. "She was killed by the Godslayer." I lifted my hand to touch the crystal. It was a odd sense of kinship.

"You would be correct. It's almost a pity you remember that."

My blood froze. I heard the sound of lightning crackle as Sheba spun, but the crystals around us chimed, and the psynergy fizzled. I could hear his laughter, the laughter of that mad dragon, though this time it seemed to be nothing but mirth.

"You may relax, love. We cannot fight here." Smog noted, his tail swishing behind him from his perch on a large crystal pillar. "Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't in front of her. You need not worry, today is merely a day our paths cross."

"You seem calmer." I noted. Smog hummed softly, nodding after a moment.

"I am. The power trip has worn off to a degree. But you already knew that, didn't you?" He answered. "After all, you watched me in Infinity. You knew I'd calmed down. You never would have woken if I hadn't."

"..." I didn't answer that. Saturos took a few steps forward, his hand on his sword. It took me a moment to realise he was putting himself between me and Smog.

"Speak your business, dragon." He declared. Smog just laughed. It was a dull, mirthless laugh.

"I have no business, mortal. I'm merely here mourning. My love has no true burial ground, so I mourn by her sister's grave."

"You say that, but you can't let go." Sheba noted. Smog's eyes narrowed.

"Love, do not push it." He declared dryly. "Consider this a brief offer of truce. I advise you take it."

"You took Felix's arm. I'd never consider a truce with you." She shot back. Smog's eyes widened at that. It was almost surprising how expressive he could be.

"I took his arm? You lay that at my feet?"

"Of course. The Autarch would never have come forth if you'd been able to show restraint." Sheba shot back, and in that instant, I understood. She could dive into Smog's head, and he did not like it.

Smog just stared for a moment, before shaking his head.

"She is insufferable, isn't she, Ershin?"

"Perhaps. But you have always found such repellent. What has changed, Ryu?" Ershin shot back. "Or are you not truly Ryu?"

"That… is a good question." Smog mused, as he leapt down to the ground before us. Saturos' thumb clicked his blade an inch out of its sheathe, but Smog ignored it. "You travel to the north. That is what I recall. Yet this is far from where you wish to be."

"We chose to go around. We didn't want to run into the Xian." I muttered.

"The Xian you set on us, I might add." Saturos' voice was nothing but sarcasm. Smog finally broke down and laughed.

"I will never understand you, Felix. You could have just crushed them under the foot of the Autarch. Why do you spare them?" Smog asked. I felt a cold grip around my throat.

He was right. I could have just wiped the entire Xian army out. Why hadn't I considered that?

"Because he loves humans. Unlike you." Sheba spoke up. "Just go, Smog. Bother us no more or mourn in silence. We care not which."

"... As you wish. Then allow me to gift you some advice." Smog's mouth twisted into a grin with far too many teeth. "Barubary belongs to me." With that, he slowly made his way out, walking past the knights in the distance with them nary even noticing him. As I thought, only those close to me could actually see him.

Saturos let out a long sigh as he left, his sword clicking back into his sheathe.

"I wasn't expecting that." He admitted. I shook my head.

"I should have known." I admitted. "The memories were too strong. I should have figured it meant he was nearby."

"At least he didn't do anything." Sheba muttered. Saturos just shook his head as he stepped towards the crystal, his lips pursed as he reached up and touched the crystal.

"Maybe." He admitted. "Maybe…" I could feel it. The flame inside Saturos. Between that and the leftover feelings from Smog, I realised this would probably be the only chance to do this.

But did I want to?

I glanced at Ershin, but the tin-man's gaze remained passive.

[X] Draw Saturos into your fate.
[ ] Leave Saturos to his own devices.

 

[BlackHadou]

Is he dating Karst?

Click to shrink...

"I... what?"

"Where did you get that idea from?"

Looking at the character sheet, we have Massive Lifestream back, is that an effect of this place that will go away when we leave?

Click to shrink...

"It should be permanent."

Did it come back just now or did it return earlier and we simply missed it at the time?

Click to shrink...

"It just came back."

This may be faulty memory on my part but has Nina always been there?

Click to shrink...

"Nina has been there since Chek."

"... Tch. No dwelling on the past."

"Sorry."

Aside from this being a pertinent point to the discussion, Felix suggests here that Karst is caught up in his Fate, but on the Status screen, she isn't. Did something break her free?

Click to shrink...

"Smog leaving weakened Felix to a sufficient degree that everyone in his fate 'escaped'. Except Sheba."

"She could have escaped, she simply chose not to. In her case, her fate is already linked to yours. For a while there, it would probably have been accurate to say the roles were reversed. You were trapped in her fate. So says Ershin."

"But that's no longer the case."

"Heehee. So you say, Mold."

If we don't draw Saturos into our Fate, does that mean he's caught in another Fate as a result?

Click to shrink...

"While Saturos is strong, he could easily be caught in the fate of a demon, or Isaac and Jenna's for that matter, in a moment of weakness. If a demon caught him, then he'd definitely die shortly after. So says Ershin."

"That said, we do not possess the Godslayer, which is the way around the protection those that draw others into their fate offers. Generally, it would take quite some effort for someone in mortal danger to not sacrifice someone trapped in their fate."

"Felix already did that once though."

"Indeed. The flipside is if Saturos is drawn in, he won't be able to operate independently of Felix, in a sense. They will inevitably be drawn back together. People who share the same stream of fate also don't necessarily get along or even work towards the same goal. It only really guarantees their presence. Take care not to draw someone in who is working against you."

 

[BlackHadou]

I did not meet the others gaze as Sheba and Ershin left ahead of us. Sheba just smiled, I was sure she was, but she didn't say anything. In the end, it was just me and Saturos. In the end, I chose not to prevent him from taking what was left of Smog's emotions. I could see the red glow around his hand from where he had touched the crystal. It was like a fire that burned within his arm.

"Why did you do it?" I finally asked. Saturos just smiled sadly.

"Because it was the right thing to do." He answered. "Think of it as a reminder. You've second guessed the rest of us just a little too much."

"Are you implying I don't trust you?"

"I'm implying you try to take on too much yourself." Saturos answered, waving his hand. "Now you don't have a choice. You're stuck with me."

"And if I'd… saved you from your own stupidity?"

"I'd have been touched, but it'd have just made me more worried." Saturos answered. "You have your fiance. You have me. Start leaning, before I tie you to a bed."

"... Right." I let out a long breath. Well, that was that. I could see Temper atop Saturos' head, and it occurred to me that I'd be seeing far more of my mentor's Djinni. However, it was the second Djinni, one that looked a little more bushy for a Mars Djinni, that actually drew my eye. "You're like Sheba. You have two."

"Yes. Did you think she was unique in that regard?" Saturos noted.

"I just… never really thought of it." I admitted. "What's his name?"

"This one is Tinder. He's the one I was born with. Temper appeared later." Saturos noted, absently scratching the shy Djinni that hid away behind the back of his head. "You are annoyed?"

"Just a little. I must have sounded like an idiot when-"

"No. Sheba is special. You are right. She's so young yet she has two Djinni. I'd bet money she'll have a third before our adventure is done." Saturos noted. "It is rare for a person to have two Djinni. Most of us grow to have them later in life. From what I've heard-"

"Overheard."

"Overheard." Saturos admitted. "From your sister's attempts to teach her, Sheba has had two Djinni since near enough when she was born. I'm over thirty, Felix, and I've only had Temper for a few years." As we walked out of the tomb, I could see the Wyndians return to the shadows. The resentment was still there. It was resentment that really, had nothing to do with me. It didn't even have anything to do with Smog. We were the focus of distrust and hate that stemmed back millennia and would not dissipate.

Elina's death somehow was still our fault, so long after the fact.

"You hate it here." Saturos noted. I nodded.

"Yes. I've…" I struggled to explain it. "I've said goodbye, or at least, some part of me has. I'm not even sure why I felt like I had to come here. It seems so pointless."

"Maybe it was, but the soul needs nourishment on occasion too." Saturos noted. I rolled my eyes.

"Another of your 'a swordsman is a master of art'?"

"Sure, why not." Saturos nodded. "We should head back. Sheba is getting antsy."

"... I'm not sure why." I admitted. Saturos just rolled his eyes.

"She reads minds."

"And?"

"Felix, everyone here looks at you with undisguised hate. I can feel it. Imagine what it's like for her?" And suddenly, with Saturos' words, the obvious became clear. She wanted to leave because she didn't want to deal with all the hate directed at me.

I blinked. Sheba's back in the distance was for a moment distinctly someone else.
Pink wings. Blue dress. Blond hair. She almost turned, but instead she just waved. A farewell.
"M'lord." The knights at the gate were polite enough, but it was clear they wished for us to leave. I just bowed and gave my thanks, before we made our way back up into the caves. "Some advice for your travels?"

"It would be welcome." I noted, turning back to face the knights. The one on the left nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

"The wind currents beneath the sands have become stagnant." He declared. "From the west, they exist no more, from the east, they have changed course. The legends say that preludes the movement of those from beyond. They say when the sands change, the tarnished sword will appear in the south."

The tarnished sword. My gut went cold.

"They doth refer likely to the Godslayer. It doth still exist." Elixir's voice muttered in my ear.

"Is there anything the legends say about acquiring the blade?" I asked. The to wyndians glanced between each other, before nodding.

"Seek the house of the child of the Moon. The sword will reveal itself, supposedly." The knight on the right answered.

"Supposedly it never escaped the reverie of the stream of unification. The words of legend are unclear beyond that." The other knight admitted. "Language has changed significantly since those days, and now we only keep the tale orally."

"... You have my thanks." I answered, pulling a small crystal from my pouch. "May you stay well and healthy in the changing world."

As I walked away, it occurred to me that I already had the pieces to this puzzle, assuming that the pieces hadn't become distorted over the years. Even so, it was something to bring up later. We were nowhere near where Sheba might call her home.

The reverie of the stream. Had a previous version of me used the sword before?

*Ba-dump.*

"Tis interesting ye raiseth thy blade in such fashion. Thy sword hath failed te kill me once. What think ye that it might succeed a second time?"

*Ba-dump.*

"You alright, Felix?" Sheba's voice was almost concerned. Almost. I could tell she wanted to help, but she didn't know how.

I just waved my hand.

"I'm fine. A memory from another time. I'll get better when Smog gets away from us." I admitted. There was no point in trying to hide it, after all. Sheba nodded at that. At least she accepted what I said. I couldn't feel her niggling deeper into my head.

It was almost touching, that she trusted me to be truthful about such things.

"Dare I say it, this trip has told us valuable information. So says Ershin." Ershin spoke up as we made our way up the caves. I raised an eyebrow at that.

"How so?"

"We have confirmation that Ryu… or Smog, rather, is not quite as powerful as he would have had you believe in the Sol Sanctum." Ershin noted. "I wonder, is he conserving his power, or…"

"I think it isn't that he isn't as powerful." Sheba spoke up. "I think he gets fatigued easily. It's easier to travel around as a Djinni sort of thing then as a dragon."

"Which is odd." I admitted. "Turning into a dragon is always energising for me. Why would it exhaust him?"

"Questions without answers." Saturos mused. "I think we'll find the answer to that, when we reach the Mercury Lighthouse."

"Yeah." I slipped my hand into my pocket. I could vaguely feel Sheba grab my right hand, but I couldn't really describe the sensation, of a hand that could barely feel something so… "Barubary is the demon the sanctum associated with Mercury. In theory, he's there."

"In theory." Saturos muttered. "The practice might bare out different."

"I think Smog will be there." I continued. "Whether Barubary is, is another issue, but…"

"But?"

"The Wise One believes it will be there. We'll need to be ready."

"Another secret, Felix?" Saturos asked. I bit my lip.

"Unfortunately."

"Is this linked to why you decided to go cross country?"

"Partially. There's a magic spell that the Paladins in Bilibin know that we need to learn. I was… vaguely, hoping that we could find something on the way to Bilibin that we could use as leverage to get it. Especially with the Xian throwing their weight around."

"I see. Good."

"Good?"

"Did you think we didn't know? Sheba-"

"Oi!"

"-spilled the beans days ago." Saturos shot back. "You need to trust us more, Felix."

"Is that why you went along with my decision?"

"Partially." Saturos admitted. "I'm more worried about Menardi at this point. I don't actually know which way they went, but they were impersonating you. Clearly, it didn't actually fool the Xian, which means we're better off regrouping."

"You aren't wrong." I admitted. I was worried too. Sheba just hummed, whistling a small tune. "Is that your attempt to make us stop overthinking things?"

"Is it working?"

"It might be." Saturos noted. Sheba just giggled, before the tune changed. I very much remembered that one. It was a folk Proxian tune. "My head isn't free real estate, girl."

"Oh shush."

My nose caught the scent of sizzling meat as we approached what passed for our camp. Jenna was cooking something, and it smelt delicious. However, as we approached, I realised that Ivan was sitting by the fire.

That one was going to be an issue. He was a mind reader, after-

"I promise, Felix, your mind isn't that interesting to read." Ivan spoke up.

"You knew what I was thinking." I sat down beside him. I didn't trust him, after all.

"Call it a sixth sense." Ivan admitted. "I want something from you, you want something from me. I wouldn't be a very good merchant if I couldn't guess at your thoughts from your facial expression."

"He's lying a little." Sheba retorted cheekily. "After all, you don't think in the common tongue."

"That has no bearing on whether or not I can read his mi-"

"It matters a lot." Sheba continued, poking her tongue at the other Jupiter Adept. Ivan just groaned.

"I suppose I should have expected that." He admitted.

"Are you trying to tell me my thoughts are safe?"

"Oh lord no. It's just more effort. I could rip every memory out of your mind if I was so inclined and thought I'd survive the experience." Ivan admitted. "But, as you probably already gathered from… before, humans aren't made for that."

"No. We aren't." Sheba muttered dryly, as she sat down next to Jenna. "What can I help with?"

"I need this cut up. It's for Felix and Saturos." Jenna muttered, but I lost track of that conversation as Ivan spoke again.

"As Isaac is probably telling Saturos, we've identified our location and route." Ivan noted. "We're a fair ways to the northern edge of the Lamakan Desert. You are somewhat lucky I woke up. If you'd entered the salt flats, you might have gotten lost for a few days."

"The salt flats? I'm guessing they go down?"

"Yeah. One pass in and out. You wouldn't have worked out you couldn't advance for quite some time." Ivan admitted. "We need to travel south-east for about six hours. It'll line up roughly with when the moon reaches its zenith. We then turn north-east. It'll take three days to actually reach the Lama Temple."

"And if we just crossed the desert entirely?" I asked. Ivan laughed.

"Well, three days. If we go south to the road, we could be out of the desert and to the west of Xian village in three days." Ivan noted dryly. "But… well, I wouldn't want to do that on a good day, let alone with you and your sister around."

"The Xian are that bad to negotiate with?"

"Bargain with." Ivan corrected. "You don't negotiate. The Xian are… insular. They provide basically everything they generally need except jade and some foods they deem sacred. It makes it very difficult to buy silk from them, since they don't need much and they don't accept much. If you don't have something they need right now, then they won't sell at all. It's all quite painful."

"But lucrative." I noted. Ivan chuckled at that.

"Very lucrative." He agreed. "Xian silk can buy almost a room of gold. We don't bother exchanging gold for such, we just write writs to be cashed in. A rite of passage for a new merchant in the area is to actually buy some Xian silk successfully. However, we're out of the normal purchase season."

"There are seasons?"

"Aye. You buy in the Autumn. It's when the Xian are doing their religious rituals and when they are stocking up for Winter. In Winter, it's too late. In Spring, they tend their fields. In Summer… Well, the less we say the better." Ivan answered. "Anyway, while we could be at Xian in three days, I say we avoid it entirely."

"I note you could be rid of us just by leading us into a trap."

"Hardly. I'd be executed with you as a dragon sympathiser." Ivan retorted. His gaze found me for a long moment, before softening. "I suppose you have been sheltered from such things. I have to insist, on this trip to Bilibin, and even in Bilibin, you need to make sure your heritage stays hidden. The Xian have ears everywhere and I really can't afford for Master Hammet's name to become synonymous with dragon sympathiser."

"The people of Angara hate us so, huh?"

"There's a reason your kind does not really exist outside the Vale." Ivan admitted. "Though… you aren't as scary as I was led to believe."

"I can be."

"Hah, I'm sure. But I fear your sword far more then your claw."

"Why?"

"Because it's more subtle. If you were to raise tooth and claw against me, I at least have time to make my peace." Ivan answered. "Though honestly, I don't fear you. I fear her." I knew who he was referring to. Sheba wasn't that far away.

"Given she gave a good shot at ripping your head apart."

"She was successful, I should point out." Ivan retorted. "All power, no control. I thought that such Adepts were only of other elements. I've never met a Jupiter Adept like her."

"Can your Grand Master help her?"

"I hope so." Ivan admitted. "She's terrifying. How you don't fear her… Actually, no, I know why you don't."

"Enlighten me."

"You are opposites. Equally powerful, but opposite in how you view the world." Ivan answered. "She has no control but ludicrous power. You have control and power in equal measure. She will come to be more like you, while you will come to be more like her. It's quite amusing in how it compliments."

"You sound like you have us figured out."

"At least on the surface." Ivan answered, offering me what looked like a cup with some weeds in it. "You'll like it."

"What is it?"

"Virn root and jasper in some water. It's similar to tea. Best I could make on such short notice. I make my living working out what people like from observing them, Felix. You'll like it."

He was right. It was sweet, yet it also was spicy. I didn't tell him that, but he also didn't need me to.

"What is the Grand Master like?"

"Strict. Sheba likely won't enjoy our time at Lama Temple." Ivan admitted. "I spent a week there as a child. What I learned I had to practice for months, but at the same time, that torture I wouldn't give away."

"Torture?"

"The monks of Lama Temple will subject her to their routine. There won't be any adjustment because she hasn't done it before." Ivan admitted. "She and I will likely be practicing together for some time afterwards."

"You intend to follow us."

"At least to Bilibin. Our goals align until then." Ivan answered. "In fact, probably a bit beyond, since you need something in Bilibin I can provide."

"... You're extorting us again."

"It's merely a business deal, Felix. You're the one calling it extortion. I think it's pretty fair."

I almost wanted to slap myself. This brat was sharper then a knife. It wouldn't be long before he knew us better then we did.

Then again, so long as Sheba was with us, it probably wasn't too dangerous. After all, Ivan had already given away that his mind was no safer from her then the rest of us were.

While you wait, you…
[X] Rest until nightfall.
[ ] Practice psynergy with Sheba.
[ ] Negotiate a business deal with Ivan to meet the Paladins.
[ ] Practice swordsmanship with Saturos.
[ ] Learn arcana with Won-Qu and Ershin.

 

[BlackHadou]

Did it succeed the second time? Do we know?

Click to shrink...

"Ryu and Fou Lu merged the second time. The Godslayer was inconsequential to the result."

"T- why do you know that?"

"... I kinda remember it."

"This is concerning. So says Ershin."

"Tis very concerning. Though not necessarily an ill omen."

This... Probably shouldn't be a riddle, but it feels a little like one. Child of the moon? I want to say Sheba, but I don't think that's quite right, mostly because I associated the moon with water and thus with Mercury rather than Jupiter. Am I off-base with that?

We've heard of an ancient tribe/race for each element, so would we be looking for the mercury race? I forget their name...

Click to shrink...

"... We fell from the moon. Father told us. We've said as much before."

"You're looking for a riddle where there isn't one. I'm pretty sure I know roughly where it's meant to be."

"They say the Anemos live on the moon."

"Supposedly. I wonder if that's true."

"Your origins would imply it is."

Hm... Unless I'm messing up my geography though the sword is in the opposite direction from the way we're going now. To the south, right?

So probably not worth the detour overall. Maybe on the way back.

Click to shrink...

"It's a few miles from Lalivero. We won't be going that way for a while, I think, but..."

"We intend to do Venus second."

"Right, so it's on the next leg of the journey. It's on the way to the overlook."

"Overlook?"

"Oh, right. The Venus Lighthouse is on this sort of hook like cliff. We called it the overlook. Underneath is a cove you could probably put a few ships in. It's part of why it became known as Fisherman's Rest."

"I see... Wait, you are way too confident you know where it is."

"... I was found there. Give me a night and I'll paint it. The ruins are quite pretty in the sunset."

Also... with the Temple, is Ivan talking horrible exercise for those not ready for it? Or do they actually flog themselves ritually or something? One... might be okay, the other is going to have a very cranky, nigh-on world-ending dragon breathing down their necks.

Click to shrink...

"... Leafing through his head, turns out they practice a martial art that uses psynergy and they throw people off the deep end on it. What he's referring to that is actually difficult is something called 'Experience Transmigration', but I can't actually work out what it involves. Ivan doesn't actually remember it very clearly."

"So there isn't self flagellation."

"No, its not that insane thing where you and Saturos had a gladiator fight. Why DID you do that?"

"Men can harm dragons. Men can destroy humans. The fight was irrelevant, it was proving it could be done that mattered. Besides, we had a small army of healers to hand, it doesn't sound like this temple does."

"Well, there is something closer to self flagellation."

"I don't like this idea anymore."

"Oh relax. I'm kidding."

Literally everyone but Ivan: REST, FELIX

Felix: No

Click to shrink...

"Rest."

"No."

"Rest."

"No."

"Rest."

"No."

"For the love of god I'm tying you to a chair!"

"Try me."

 

[BlackHadou]

It was not long before I realised that just… resting seemed almost alien. I always seemed to be doing something. When I finally stopped, sat down, and actually just rested, my body felt like it was being frozen in stone against it's will.

The camp remained a small bustle of activity around me even so. Mold seemed as perplexed as I was at our feelings, for he plopped himself on the ground beside me, pondering as his tail swished.

"We don't slow down much, do we?"

"No. We don't." Mold's voice was gentle as he watched, and waited. Where once he had been just an ordinary Venus Djinni, now I could see the toll our adventure had already taken. Flesh like stone had begun to change, golden scales growing and jutting from his flesh like a twisted metamorphosis. The end result of our journey was already becoming somewhat obvious. I could see the similarities between Mold and Smog now.

What did that mean for me, I wonder?

"Don't overthink it." Mold's answer was not one born of my mind, but of the Autarch. It was odd, to realise that Mold wasn't entirely just me anymore. Normally, a Djinni simply represented an aspect of the owner. Lull, Simoom, Temper, they all were simply aspects of their owners personalities, some far closer linked then others. Mold and I, though, it felt like we were slowly drifting away from each other.

"I suppose." I muttered. Elixir joined us after a moment, before Lull pocked his head out of my hair. "It's starting to get a little crowded."

"It is." Lull agreed. "Just think, there's one more coming too."

"Tis not unusual." Elixir noted. "We art a dragon. Such shouldst be normal for our kind."

"Not like there's many to ask." I muttered, glancing towards my sister. On one hand, Jenna and Isaac were also brood, but at the same time, they'd never mentioned multiple Djinni to me.

Perhaps it was something to ask for later.

"They do not have them." Mold noted.

"They don't?"

"No. We are unique. I don't think I like it." I bit my lip. I think I agreed with him. The idea of being completely unique was not one that sat well with me. I didn't want to think too much of-

"We will have to eventually." Lull noted. "The truth is inevitable. We do appear to have the traits of a immortal."

"..." I didn't say anything.

"After all, if we were mortal, we'd have already-"

"Tis no need to follow thy train of thought." Elixir spoke up. "We art aware."

I was glad he quietened the Jupiter Djinni. I didn't really want to confront such truths yet.

At some point, Isaac and Saturos started sparring, which ended exactly as I thought it would. It was funny enough, but from my spot in the corner of the cave, I don't think people were paying enough attention to me to actually realise I'd been chuckling. It was nice that someone else was on the receiving end of that. Usually it was me that he was kicking across the room and battlefield.

Tracing my eyes about the cave, I realised that at some point, Ivan and Sheba had started doing… something. Sheba looked extremely frustrated at whatever it was. She was not having fun.

"He's a brat." Ether noted. I just snickered at that.

"Is he now?"

"Also might be a pervert. We're on the fence on whether its him or Ershin."

"Do I need to say something?"

"Probably not. Isaac will throttle him first before you need to get involved." I rolled my eyes. Well that told me who his gaze was going to, at least. She might be my sister, but I knew better then to get in the way. She'd roast me on a spit with him anyway. Ershin and Won'Qu were off against a wall. I wasn't quite sure what they were doing until they started drawing letters that I couldn't quite understand.

Magic, probably. I should ask them to teach me soon. Maybe when we got to this temple…

I shook my head. It was bustling, but at the same time, I felt nothing but loneliness. My eyes closed for a brief moment, but while they were shut, I saw nothing but the grand expanse of Infinity.

My eyes shot open. Perhaps this was reason not to simply sit still.

"It is okay to sit still sometimes, you know." I blinked at Sheba's voice. I'd almost drifted off when she spoke, leaning down in front of me. The expression on her face was one I wasn't sure how to read.

"I was about to sleep."

"You were about to have a nightmare." Sheba corrected softly. "How long have you been seeing that place?" I shook my head. It wasn't really that big a deal. I simply didn't want to see the endless expanse of Infinity when I slept. That was all.

"Since Mt Aleph."

"At least you're being honest." Sheba sniffed, hands folding behind her back. "Stop trying to push me out."

"What, you eat dreams?"

"No." She admitted. "But I can at least change what they are. It's not hard." She paused, snorting. "Okay, according to buster over there it's hard."

"You never cease to amaze me."

"Ivan thinks I'm all brute force. It's why I find some things easy and others impossible." It took me a moment to realise she had a pouch beside her, as she plopped down in my lap. A moment later, I could hear the ruffling of paper.

"To be fair, he isn't exactly wrong."

"Shush, Mold."

I felt a smile ghost onto my face as Simoon spoke up. She was warmer then I remember. Maybe I'd just…

"I think your more comfortable as a person." Sheba noted. I just snorted. My left arm wrapped itself around her stomach. My right still couldn't really feel anything.

"You're painting."

"I saw something today I don't want to forget." She answered.

"Elina?"

"No." I bit my lip. Then what had she seen today? I let the thought go. If she wanted me to know, she'd tell me. Or show me. Whichever she thought was easier. The scratch of her paintbrush on paper was actually quite soothing. I could get used to this. "Don't. It's not the easiest way to paint."

"It is comfortable, though."

"And now your mind resembles Ivan's."

"Excuse me?" I popped an eye open, but the giggles of Sheba's Djinni told me she hadn't been particularly serious. "I'd like to think I'm at least a little more mature."

"If you say so." Sheba hummed. "Most people aren't as mature as they say they are. It's just another mask they put up to protect themselves."

"I see. And you don't wear them?"

"I probably wear more then most." Sheba admitted. "Being able to see through those masks makes it harder to let your own down willingly." She leaned back into me. It took me a moment to realise just how much shorter then me she was. I could comfortably look over the top of her head.

Sheba's hands were very practiced. I realised that almost immediately. She painted with the grace of someone who'd done so her entire life. If anything, it just confirmed that the life of a warrior was not the life for her. I lived for the life of adventure, but eventually, she would want something else.

For the briefest moment, it made me think that maybe we were just, on a fundamental level, incompatible.

"Don't presume too much. You'll feel stupid later." I blinked as Sheba bonked the top of my head with the handle of her paintbrush. "The ones that last are give and take, Felix. Ones where one side does nothing but give and the other does nothing but take do not."

Her voice was almost sad as she said it. No, not sad, regretful.

"You think our relationship is all take?"

"I haven't done a good job of giving back, no." Sheba admitted. "Its not that I don't want to, it's just that…"

"You have yet to get the power to." Mold noted. Sheba regarded the little Djinni for a moment, before nodding.

"Yeah." The girl in my lap was just as insecure, in the end, as the rest of us. She had fears and worries. It was a very different perception to that of the little goddess of wind she usually tried to put forward.

It was nice to see all the same.

"Don't."

"You're embarrassed?" I closed my eyes. Infinity didn't greet me this time. Sheba did not answer for a long moment, before she finally spoke.

"I'd rather hear you speak then comment in your head." She finally admitted. "I feel more welcome if you actually say it."

"You mean less guilty."

"Well, that too." A small giggle left her throat. "Though…"

"Though?"

"Well-"

"You had an ulterior motive for joining me."

"It distracts me."

My eye snapped open and I examined the camp. I worked out why she'd want a distraction a moment later.

"Next time, don't tell me that."

"Does it really bother you that much?"

"Conceptually? No. However, there are some things older brothers just don't want to know." I answered softly. "You don't have siblings, do you?"

"No, I do. Sort of." Sheba answered, before shaking her head. "I'm the eldest by quite a bit, but I'm also adopted. Father has two sons as well, Coran and Braen. Coran is… I think eight this year?"

"You don't know?"

"It's a struggle to remember when he was born." Sheba admitted. "I was past my tenth summer. I'm sure of that." When she said that, it occurred to me that Sheba probably didn't actually know how old she actually was. "Nineteen summers."

"Since you fell?"

"Since I fell." She confirmed.

"How do you remember that?"

"The beads on my pouch." She answered, motioning to the little bag that'd held paint for her. "I add one every summer."

"So you could be older?"

"Maybe. I don't know how old I was when I fell." Sheba admitted. "What, disturbed I might be older then you?" I knew she was winking at me, even though I couldn't really see it. I could feel it in my mind.

"No. It doesn't bother me at all." And it really didn't in the end. When one was faced with the prospect of infinity, it did not matter how old others were.

I didn't want to think about it too hard.

"Just rest, Felix." Sheba's voice was gentle, humming as she worked. The scratch of paint and her voice lulled me to sleep more surely then any lullaby ever had.

Sheba was not still in my lap when I woke. Her painting, on the other hand, was. I bit my lip, groggily rubbing my eyes, as I tried to work out what I was looking at.

A blond woman and a white haired man. The man was only a tad taller then the woman. They both looked somewhat exotic as they looked over what I presumed was a waterfall. The plains beneath were surprisingly well detailed; in fact, they were probably the most detailed part of the painting.

My heart skipped a beat. I recognised the woman. Sheba's features, even if she'd drawn herself older, did not change that much. My gaze fell on the man.

He wasn't human. That was immediately obvious. His left arm was coated in golden scales, and a great red brand was upon his left cheek. His hand was a wicked claw, one that could easily tear a human limb from limb.

After a long moment, Mold hopped on my head.

"That's the one. The great warrior." He noted. I nodded. It was very clear who the man actually was.

Was this a prophecy of hers? Had she peeked into the future and shown this to me as a method of reassuring me? Or maybe…

"Tis the shape of a Endless, not a man. Thou hath lived thine mortal life." Elixir noted. I could feel the taste of copper in my mouth, my mind racing.

This picture was almost certainly one of a scene that could not happen within this century. Maybe it was only a possibility, but it's one I wanted to cling to regardless. In her own way, Sheba was trying to help.

*Ba-dump*

I tucked it into the small of my back, calling on my power and pressing it into the empty space that existed where the other me was. My dragon self took it gingerly and kept it safe.

No one else needed to know about that one.

"I take it night is falling?" I spoke up. The smell of dinner was wafting my way. It was obvious that Jenna had started cooking while I slept. Ivan snorted for a moment, before coughing and spluttering.

"How did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Just…" He shook his head. "Nevermind. Evening arrived about twenty minutes ago. We wait another twenty, eat, and then make our way."

"And you know the way?"

"Course I do." Ivan answered. His confidence was almost reassuring. "Better question is, will your shoes survive the trip."

"My boots aren't made of cloth." I noted. Ivan rolled his eyes.

"Fair point. Yours aren't. Your sister and her husband? Those are a bit more flimsy." He shot back. "Not to mention it shows you bought your fiance's stuff in Tolbi. It won't last much past the temple."

"You want us to buy your wares?"

"Mine? No. But getting new clothes would make travelling easier." He admitted. "I don't sell clothes. I deal in jewelry mostly."

"Do you now." I hummed, before I lifted my hand to my eye, and let the little crystal draw forth. "And how much is this worth?"

"What? You can just make gems on a whim?" Ivan took the Dragon's Tear with a slight hint of greed, all things considered. "… How many of these can you make?"

"Not many. Not fast. Would it pay for much?"

"So long as you didn't tell someone it came from a dragon? I've seen few topaz's like that." He admitted. He lifted his arm and smashed in on the ground. It didn't even chip. "Hard, too. I'm not sure I could reasonably do damage to it. How long does it last?"

"I've… never actually tried to find out." I admitted. Ivan shook his head.

"So long as you never intend to meet someone again, you could easily buy a house with a fist sized one." He noted. "This'd easily pay for clothes."

"So long as it sticks around." I muttered.

"Ye can'st rest easy, m'lord. We hath never known a Dragon's Tear te fade." Won'Qu noted, as Jenna started serving some sort of stew. "Thank ye."

"Well… Let's test it." Ivan muttered. "How about a wager."

"In what sense?"

"If this lasts till we get to the temple, I'll buy your entourage a set of Xian spark-leather for the trip." He answered. "Costs a hell of a penny. If it doesn't…"

"If it doesn't?"

"Well… hmm." It occurred to me almost immediately that Ivan hadn't actually thought it through, before he grinned. "I want that painting."

I almost ripped him limb from limb. Ivan's eyes widened significantly.

"Wow, I didn't expect that one."

"Don't prod a sleeping dragon." I muttered. "They usually burn you."

"... I see. Deal stands, though." He offered his hand. I considered it for a long moment. A very long moment.

[ ] Agree
[X] Don't agree

Remember, Ivan's coffers are not infinite. Swindling him now may yet leave him without money later.

 

[BlackHadou]

Does Xian spark-leather have any useful characteristics beyond being -I presume- exceptionally durable and well suited to hard travel?

Click to shrink...

"It's called Spark-Leather because it doesn't burn, and resists electricity. At least, that's what Ivan's thinking."

"Spark-leather is just regular hide treated as the old dragon hides would be. It's as close to dragonhide as we're probably going to get."

"... Does that bother you?"

"No."

"Generally its made from lesser dragonkin, such as wyverns. The nearby Lama Valley has a lot of them. Hunting them has become a sport of sort for nobles in the winter, when there's not much else to do and the wyverns are hibernating."

"Could we have run into them at Chek?"

"Even if we had, they'd have fled from us."

"That said, the man has a point. We did just buy what was to hand at Tolbi, a port-city with more citizens then travelers. Even the best gear from there is likely to fall apart after extended travel."

"I'd have thought it'd last a bit longer then this, though."

"Going to Chek probably didn't help. The temperature extremes would do a lot. The Proxians are used to the cold and Felix, Isaac and Jenna might as well be heat and cold proof for the temperatures it'd take to actually bother them, but Sheba is not as durable by far."

Do you suppose we could counter-offer that he should just get the best gear for Sheba, since Isaac and Jenna won't need it and the proxians are already pretty well outfitted?

Have him pay for repairs and upkeep on everyone else's gear, but the Spark-Leather only for Sheba. That would still be a decent wager, but put a significantly smaller dent in his pocketbook in the long run, right?

Click to shrink...

"I'd be more concerned he's going to swindle you, frankly. He's far too confident about this and I can't get a read on why."

"... I'll rip him apart and gnaw on his marrow."

"Heel, boy. It's just a painting."

"It's mine."

"I'm starting to think it's just a common trait dragons are possessive."

"Just think, Felix is probably the least possessive of the three you know, too."

"Tis a common trait. Though we doth believe that push cometh to shove, Felix is also the one that wouldst destroy ye yonder to ye fifteenth generation."

"He'll live long enough to do it too."

"... Mold, no starting a blood feud over a picture!"

Would the fact that it's a dragon tear tip the Xian off? We know it has anomalous properties, could he be trying to betray us with this?

Click to shrink...

"Unlikely. He wasn't lying when he said that he'd be executed just for the association. Like it or not, he's probably stuck with us for a while."

"... Tis more likely that he doth undersell the value of the tear. Ye art being swindled in terms of value."

"Mmm... I can think of a few people in Tolbi that'd pay a lot of money for a indestructible topaz."

"... This is a horrific waste of a Dragon's Tear. Especially with it's warding properties. If you were smart, you'd work it into an amulet for your Fiancé. Ehehehehehe."

"It's not too late for me to hurt you too, tin-man."

"No, the Dragon's Tears ward away curses and poison by focusing the effects on themselves and crumbling away in the wearers place. The gem you are offering may legitimately be more valuable then what you are receiving. It would be difficult to believe Ivan doesn't know that, too."

"You think he's making the wager because he knows he can make money back on it?"

"That would be my guess. He never said he intended to give it back. So says Ershin."

Ivan's a kid.

A good merchant buys low and sells high, a better merchant knows what happens when you buy too low though. If you swindle too much no one's ever going to sell to you again and at that point you aren't a merchant, you're a thief or a con-man.

Click to shrink...

"I think your thinking too short term. The boy appears to be using the fact we have a major short term need against us."

"Don't take his side, Tinder."

"No, I think Tinder is on to something. We kinda may have started a war. His normal wares might not be immediately sellable where he means to sell them. It's not like he could predict Saturos going and stealing Babi's water."

"Either that or he already has a buyer in mind."

 

[BlackHadou]

"No deal." I finally muttered, shaking my head. Ivan raised an eyebrow at that.

"No deal?"

"You'll lose. A foregone conclusion isn't really a fair gamble." I blinked as Jenna offered me a bowl of stew, before taking it in my left hand. "Thanks."

"Welcome." The girl nodded, before her gaze fell on Ivan. "You're playing with fire, you know."

"What's life without a bit of fun?" Ivan shot back, but even so, he shook his head, tucking the Dragon's Tear away. I didn't stop him. He could keep it.

Wasn't like he could do too much damage with it.

"Having fun is fine. Consider your audience." Jenna answered dryly. "How's your arm?"

"Barely feel it." I admitted, putting the bowl to my mouth and drinking. "I might have to try and see a doctor in Bilibin. This isn't Alex's speciality."

"Tis few ways to cure such ailments." Won-Qu noted. "The issue art one of the soul."

"I know." The odds of there being any sort of panacea remained low, but I had to try. This was annoying in the extreme. It also made me fear for the future.

What if I had to call on the Autarch again? What would it take next time? A leg? Something more important?

I wasn't sure, but it scared me.

Camp was broken before I really knew it. Ivan's movements were practised in a way the rest of us simply weren't. As soon as he left the cave, he'd already started muttering to himself, making what looked like calculations with the moon and the horizon.

"The stars have changed." Ivan noted. "There's no North Star."

"It is an omen. So says Ershin." Ershin spoke up. The suit of armour slowly moved to Ivan's side, it's eyes scanning the night sky. "The Star of Doom is in the sky. Something momentous is happening."

I closed my eyes for only a moment, but my left eye, even closed, still saw. Something was roaring. Transforming…

…

"Let's get to it." I muttered. "The Star of Doom is always facing the North Pole. We can use that instead of the North Star."

"Does it?" Alex sounded a little surprised. "I fail to see why the appearance of one star and the disappearance of another is so important."

"The Anemos maintained that stars were the Golden Sun's of other… worlds, I guess you might call them. Planes of existence, giant rocks, worlds… alternative lands." Ivan answered. "They don't just 'disappear' from the sky. The Star of Doom was always a strange star. It appeared due to magic, not due to the existence of another place."

"Then the disappearance of the North Star would indicate something from a prophetic point of view?" Alex asked. Ershin paused for a moment, before nodding.

"You are surprisingly well informed." It admitted. "But there is no way to properly explain such a thing to you. This world obeys different laws of physics then other worlds does." Everyone just stared at Ershin for a long moment, almost stupidly.

"Excuse me?" Isaac finally spoke up. "I don't understand."

"You wouldn't. This world is a sort of unfurled scroll, rather then the usual giant rocky ball of other worlds. If you flew to the ends of the east, you would not end up coming home from the west." Ershin answered. "It doesn't matter. We should cease discussing it."

"Ershin is right." Saturos muttered. "Interesting as it is, it has little bearing on our mission. It doesn't really stop the reality at Gaia's Falls."

"Ehehehehe. Actually, Ershin said we should stop discussing it because it is causing distress." Ershin's gaze was directly on me. It knew. "I am sorry. So said Ershin."

"... Your group is queer." Ivan muttered to himself, as he pondered. "Right. It's not an issue, we go a bit more that way, and… I know where we are. Follow me." Each step was heavy. Perhaps I was merely being anti-social, but as Won-Qu offered his side to me, I hopped upon his back without a second thought, every step bouncing me and reminding me where I really was.

"Ye art troubled." It took a few moments for me to realise that no one else heard the great kirin's words. "When the need doth arise, we can be subtle."

"I guess." I didn't want to voice the issue. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw. Fire. Rivers of it. Fury. Death. My eyes went back to the horizon, to the great Star of Doom that shone upon us. "Smog decided to take some of his rage out."

"We know."

"And you didn't say anything?"

"M'lord and Ryu were connected in much the same way." Won-Qu answered. "Ye should'st know Ershin doth know as well. Ye art not unlike a book te us who art wise to ye quirks."

"Then this will happen again."

"Tis likely." Won-Qu nodded. "Ye art an Endless. Tis a fact that cannot be denied."

"I…"

"If ye needeth proof, ye art seeing it now." Won-Qu shot back. "What shall ye do? Tis the question that doth break many of ye contemporaries."

"What I can." I muttered. "The world still needs saving."

"Tis a noble goal. Then push ye concerns of mortality and such to yonder on the horizon. Tis unnecessary to ponder as ye are." Won-Qu nodded. The night was beginning to pass, and in hindsight, we really should have just travelled at night to begin with.

Ivan and Ershin were talking at the front. Sheba appeared to be asking Saturos something. Isaac and Jenna were together as usual. Alex watched from near the rear. We looked a little unusual, but the thought struck me that unless you knew ahead of time, we probably did not seem that unusual as a party.

Maybe that was what reassured me the most.

"Do you trust the armour?" I blinked as the question arrived entirely too suddenly. It took me a moment to realise Alex had fallen back to beside Won-Qu. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

"I… don't know." I admitted. "I feel like I've slept too much, but I want to do nothing but." I didn't bring up the scenes of fire I saw when my eyes closed. Alex simply nodded, his hands fiddling with his cloak.

"Unfortunately, there isn't a lot I can do about that." He admitted. "The question stands. Do you trust the armour?"

"Yes." I answered. "Ershin hasn't really given us a reason to distrust it. You?"

"... It speaks of things it could not possibly know." Alex muttered. "I don't fear the armour, but rather the machinations it could bring."

"Like it's explanation of what the stars are?"

"It's an answer that… doesn't line up." Alex admitted. "It sounds ludicrous. Golden Sun's around other worlds? The Anemos are gone for a reason."

"Maybe it is." I mused. "But at the same time, how would we know?" I thought for a long moment, my eyes on the horizon. "Maybe I should go look one day."

"Fly beyond the sky? Is that even possible?" Alex asked. For a brief moment, his face was full of wonder. It was in that moment, I think, that I understood. The life force within him danced at the mere mention of venturing into the complete unknown.

In that moment, I could only lament that Alex's greatest failing may well have been that he was not a dragon. The freedom he yearned for was ever so easy for a dragon to claim.

"Ye curiosity could'st be sated by merely asking." Won-Qu noted. "Ershin's words art truth."

"How would you know?" Alex shot back. Won-Qu's maw fell open, and I realised after a moment he was laughing.

"Ershin's master art one who wouldst know. She doth come from beyond ye stars. Ye may rest assured that the answers to yon questions that Ershin provides, whilst primitive, art approaching truth." Won-Qu answered. "Tis up to ye to seize thy own truth."

"..." Alex did not immediately answer, but he did eventually nod. "I see. Our own truth, huh?" The very idea almost sounded like it was both new and old to him, as if it was a ideal he had discarded in the past. "Thank you."

"Ye art welcome." Won-Qu's answer was almost matter of fact. For the ageless being, it probably might as well have been. I blinked again as Alex pulled a water skin from his side, offering it to me.

"You're thirsty." Alex declared bluntly. He was right, but I still didn't like that I was that obvious. I pulled the cork before taking it in my hand and drinking. "Near as I can tell, your arm is technically healed."

"As in, physically there isn't anything wrong with it?" I asked. He nodded.

"Whatever is stopping you from using it, it isn't something wrong with your body. The mind might be my domain, but this goes beyond that." Alex muttered. "It's like…"

"My soul is missing its right arm?"

"We'd need a seer to find out." Alex didn't seem amused. "I'm guessing your friend can't do it?"

"Isaac? Neither of us specialise in such things." I answered. "Isaac was never one for doing more then basic mending, and I only learned because we needed it. It's not something we're good at."

"I was given to believe all Venus Adepts could see life force and souls."

"Life force? Yes. Souls? That's a lot harder." I answered. "I was given to believe that all Jupiter Adepts could read minds, yet Sheba can rip someone's mind apart by being too rambunctious."

"Touché." Alex just sighed, shaking his head. "The Venus tribe is gone. Where could we even find a true seer?"

"I don't know." It was a sobering thought. "But do we need one? At this point, it really would only confirm what we already know." Alex nodded after a long moment.

"It would, wouldn't it? Even if we knew, it doesn't take us closer to solving the issue."

Throughout it all, Won-Qu simply remained silent. Given his age, I was sure he must have known a solution, but if he didn't speak…

Maybe the solution was one we weren't ready to stomach.

Night faded into day. Travel faded into rest. The cycle repeated. Once. Twice. Three times. In that time, I only found the bravery to join Saturos and Isaac in sparring once. My skill with my left hand left far too much to be desired.

It was the fourth day, when we finally, as dawn was starting to break, came to our destination. It was a great temple on the edge of the desert, sand melting into dirt and nearly orange grass, and cliffs raising all around us. Ivan's steps grew less sure every time we stepped forward. Perhaps he did not really want to be here, but he had brought us regardless.

"The gate is shut." Isaac noted. Ivan nodded, lifting his fingers to his mouth and whistling.

"The gate is always shut. They are monks." He answered. "Master Hama is probably preparing for the morning rituals. We might be waiting a bit."

"Morning rituals?" Sheba was the one who spoke up. Ivan nodded.

"There's a flame that needs to be lit, a bell to toll seven times…" He trailed of, wincing, as Sheba's hands went straight to her head. "Ouch. That was…"

"You okay?" I wanted to reach out to her, but Sheba's face told me that'd be a bad idea. She'd bit her lip, blood trickling down it.

"Fine. Just… got smashed back."

"Tis a curious way of putting it." Won-Qu noted. "Look yonder. We art being received." The great gate was starting to open as we approached. Ivan moved forward, waving to us.

"Let me do the talking. Please." He sounded almost pleading, yet…

… Smog that asshole.

"You recognise this place, don't you, Felix?" Ershin asked. I nodded. I didn't speak at all. I wasn't sure how to find the words. We might not be received here at all.

The monks, I realised, were well trained in body. They moved with practiced precision. There were twelve total by the time we actually reached that gate, plus a thirteenth woman standing in the center. If it came to a fight, this would end poorly unless…

"Hail, Master Hama!" Ivan's call was quite loud, the boy waving his arm. "I bring tidings!" He seemed to almost visibly deflate when there was no immediate response. In a brief moment, I felt the needle that was so similar to Sheba's pierce into my mind.

And in that brief moment, I set Mold on it in full. Sheba, I made no attempt to harm. Ivan, I tolerated. These people, I didn't know at all.

"Wait, wait! Stop! No mind reading! They are-"

"Dragons. We know, Ivan." The woman spoke up. Her gaze was hard. "Three dragons. I would call it a miracle, but those seem to be in short supply right now." The woman, I could only presume was Hama. Her hair was purple and her eyes like amethysts. In some ways, it reminded me of Sheba, but as I looked into her eyes, I realised that they simply were not like Sheba's at all, even if they shared eye colours.

What, exactly, was different?

"Master, they are travelers needing rest. Besides, I have news and-"

"Ivan, slow down." Hama's gaze remained hard. The tenseness seemed to wash over Ivan, as he took a deep breath, before nodding.

"Right." His voice seemed to harden. "You're upset. That doesn't mean you need to take it out on my companions." And in that moment, I realised why everything seemed so weird. This conversation was happening in two places at once. Ivan and Hama were talking in their minds as well. "Yes, Felix, thank you for noticing."

"Your sarcasm isn't appreciated." I snorted, as I dismounted Won-Qu. Hama, for what is was worth, simply rolled her eyes, before returning to her mental discussion with Ivan.

"I see." Her voice was softer then it was before. "Then you vouch for the dragons?"

"Course I do."

"Then why is the dragon among you?" Ivan flinched, but I just raised my hand, stepping forward.

"If it pleases you, then I'll just keep going and the others will catch up." I spoke up. I knew the issue before she'd even voiced it. Smog and I, as far as anyone was concerned, might as well be the same person.

"And turn away a man clearly injured? Do you think me mad, boy?" Hama shot back.

"Master, he clearly is faking it. The arm is-"

"He's right handed you fool. No man fakes a disabled dominant arm. They fake the dominant arm entirely." Hama shot back. "No matter what happens, the Lama Temple has never turned away a person in need, and we will not start now." Her gaze fell on Sheba. "Perhaps we can solve this with some trade."

"You want something from us." I noted. Hama nodded.

"From you three, specifically, yes." She answered, motioning to me, Jenna and Isaac. "We will discuss it more inside. You've made your case, Ivan. Just… don't mind the mess."

"Mess?" Ivan sounded concerned. It wasn't without good reason. I just closed my eyes as we started to follow. I already knew what followed.

The small castle town surrounding the temple was badly charred. It was not unlike an attack of a giant, fire-breathing lizard. The main temple seemed almost untouched, but the rest, less so. Ivan choked back a sob, running forward.

"What the hell happened here?"

"It's been three nights since. A great beast descended from the sky and incinerated all in its path." Hama answered. "We were simply in the way. It appeared to be making its way to Xian."

"How!? The dragon that…" Ivan trailed off, shaking his head. "I don't understand."

"You want us to rebuild." I noted. "Isaac and I are well suited to building a village quickly and you need the shelter." Hama paused for a moment, before nodding.

"Yes." Her answer was simple. "It's not like you can go anywhere fast, is it?"

If that was the payment for Sheba receiving training, then it honestly wasn't too steep a cost.

"You wanted to turn us away." Isaac noted. Hama paused, but eventually nodded again.

"Yes. The dragon that attacked us is among you, or at least, so it would seem. Your defences are strong. I don't know why you let the girl run rampant."

"Because if I kicked her out with all my strength, we'd probably kill each other." I admitted. "You have more of a self-preservation instinct."

"Just admit it. You like me being in there." Sheba shot back. I rolled my eyes, but Hama just pondered for a long moment.

"I see. One of those." She muttered. "Interesting."

"In what way?"

"Many." I was beginning to suspect she'd keep her own council, as the needle darted into my head again. I let Mold loose. "No, I see now. The differences are very subtle."

"Differences?"

"Between you and the other one. He was not so quick to defend his mind." Hama admitted.

"Then stay out." I retorted. "I'm getting sick of all the mind reading."

"Except from your fiance." I wanted to scream almost immediately, but Hama's lips twisted into a small smile. "Here, I'm afraid, you will have to get used to it. The monks may be trained, but the rest will not be. They will be far less subtle then your friend."

"I have a name."

"And you will be addressed by it after your initiation." Hama shot back at Sheba. On one hand, it seemed like the deal was already done, but on the other…

The world moved so fast sometimes.

"The deal is already done. Yohl, Yohm, see them to their rooms. They may rest for the duration of the girl's training. Hsu, get the seamstress. That tunic won't survive hard work." The way she said hard work made me curious. It didn't seem like the normal use of the phrase.

"Relax, Felix." Sheba's voice was gentle by my side. "It'll be fine."

"I guess." I shook my head. It was her decision in the end, regardless. Hama paused, making a few more motions, before turning back to us.

"I would speak with the dragons alone, if you would."

"... Not that I think they are in particular danger, but why?" Saturos spoke up, and it was at that moment that I realised that he'd basically faded completely into the background, and that he could do so terrified me. Normally he seemed so radiant and simply there.

"Logistics. They possess the abilities I require. I have a village that needs urgent rebuilding and a temple that has too many within it."

"Yet you extend hospitality." Saturos noted. "For that, we are grateful."

"Don't be. Ivan and Sheba will likely disagree by weeks end."

"Hey, I didn't agree to-"

"You've slacked off again, Ivan. How will you reveal the truth of the world if you keep slacking off?" Hama shot back. "Regardless, I only need them for a moment. They will be along to the room shortly." It was a clear dismissal, but at the same time, Hama's eyes fell on Ershin for perhaps entirely too long. As the party began to break up, I realised something else.

"You don't fear Won-Qu."

"I don't fear the beast from beyond the sky, no." Hama answered. "Our traditions have spoken of them for a long time. We have little need to fear the protectors." She paused as she motioned for a monk, taking a scroll from him. "This is a rough picture of the town's old layout. I won't ask for replication, but-"

"But you are going to twist our arms until we do it." Jenna noted. "Really, w-"

"I'll do it." I took the scroll from her, clicking it open and taking a glance. It wasn't too complicated, really. The art of making a house was probably considered advanced psynergy, but Isaac and I had been able to do it since we were kids. It just… wasn't particularly rewarding. It felt much better to do it with your own hands.

"Felix!"

"Smog did this. I have a responsibility to clean up after him." I retorted. "He obviously didn't stay."

"No. It passed further east. We were just on the way to its actual objective." Hama answered.

"The Xian?"

"No. It went too far north for that. Besides, they would have simply retreated into the Mogull and let the petrified sentinels fights it off." Hama's voice was gentle. "Do not take this the wrong way, but you need sleep."

"I've gotten enough of that."

"Real sleep, boy." Hama paused for a long moment. "We will be meditating immediately after lunch. I would advise you join in. For the health of your soul if nothing else. Go rest. Your friend is safe with us."

"Ivan seems to think you're a task master." I took delight throwing the brat under the bus, but Hama just laughed.

"He lacks discipline in many ways. Of course he would." She answered, before her mouth thinned. "Some advice, Felix. Sheba being in your head prevents you from resting. If you are going to let her in, then you need to practice it."

"... How did-" I was sure she'd just mind read me. Hama just looked at me sadly.

"Jupiter Adepts, like everyone else, seek partners. I've seen it before. We will discuss it more later. Rest."

The dismissal was clear. Really, rest did seem like a good idea.

The next days… (Pick two)
[X] You spend time with…
-[ ] Isaac and Jenna
-[ ] Saturos
-[ ] Alex
-[ ] Ershin and Hama
-[X] Won-Qu and Sheba
-[ ] Ivan
[ ] You train…
-[ ] Swordsmanship
-[ ] Magic
-[ ] Jupiter Psynergy
[ ] You explore the town.
[ ] You go shopping in the nearby trade caravan.
[X] You hunt Hama down. She has something you wish to learn.
[ ] Train as a Dragon. Something was clawing within you, trying to make itself known.

 

[BlackHadou]

This seems very fitting. Recovery and utility.

Click to shrink...

"Utility, huh? Is that what we're calling it?"

"Well, the heart wants what the heart yearns for. Why would Felix want to learn, if not for something he was just told, hmm?"

"It's a little silly, but clinging to that last bit of humanity, that is what separates us from the Unmoving Ones."

Don't recall hearing that one before. What's an Unmoving One? An Endless that sits on its ass all day?

Click to shrink...

"The Unmoving Ones are the great dragons who were once normal Endless. They do not interfere with the world and generally do not move."

"They were... well, useless enough that casting them out didn't noticeably change the world. You borrowed Ch'o Ryong's power. She was a Unmoving One."

 

[BlackHadou]

Paradoxically, while sleep was not easy, it was the most wonderful sleep I'd had in weeks. For the first time in I don't know how long, I woke up feeling refreshed. My room was a small thing, one that I technically shared with Alex and Saturos, but neither of them were in the room when I woke. No, only Won-Qu was.

"What time is it?"

"Thy sun hath spread halfway to it's zenith." Won-Qu answered softly, lying on his belly in the corner. "We doth measure thy sleep at five hours."

"... Probably not enough." I admitted, but Won-Qu shook his head.

"Thy body doth not need such rest. Thou shouldst not need it." He answered.

"But I do."

"But ye do. Mayhaps a result of ye refusal to ascend completely. Tis to ye credit, te walk the path least travelled." Won-Qu shot back. "After all, m'lord doth descend fully upon a tragedy occurring. M'lord doth ascend to deliver a miracle. Neither of these events wert the result of m'lord's personal will."

"Descend?" I raised an eyebrow at that, as I threw off my meagre blanket and settled about pulling my clothes back on. "That's a strange way to put it."

"Te be god or devil tis the cross of thy race. Light dragon. Dark dragon. Mortals doth have many names for ye."

"Am I not a member of the… dark dragons?"

"Tis not so simple. Ye hath let too many of Bul Ryong's thoughts poison ye mind."

"... Smog?"

"One and the same." Won-Qu did not move from his spot, as I tucked my dao into my belt. There was no point in taking grandfather's sword. I wouldn't be able to draw it properly if I needed it. The blade was too long.

"... Do I have a name like that?" I asked. It was really a flight of curiosity, but Won-Qu's gaze turned gentle.

"Art ye sure ye wish to know. Tis a powerful thing. Ye wouldst never escape ye doom if ye knew."

"Because I'd subconsciously bring it about?"

"Indeed. Ye wouldst pigeonhole ye'self." Won-Qu noted. "If ye doth require such a name, then… ye shouldst use Guhaneun Janeun."

"... I see. You have a high opinion of me."

"Tis the way of the world. Ye art destined to do great things. Think of those ye hath saved already. Thy home owes thee their lives. Once thy party reaches the Tower of Water, ye wouldst count Angara itself in thy debt."

"Because of the demon." Just how much did Won-Qu know that he wasn't sharing? "Why do you keep things to yourself?"

"Much the same reason Deis remains silent within Ershin. We art Unmoving Ones. Interference doth prove difficult. Me and mine hath access to loopholes to serve, but not to lead. Deis sleeps because Deis cannot act." Won-Qu answered. "Thou art unique. Thou shouldst revel in thy uniqueness."

"And Smog?"

"Tis… another matter."

"Another 'you'll find out when you need to'?"

"More along thy lines of 'ye doth not know', m'lord." Won-Qu answered. "Bul Ryong hath entered paths untravelled. We doth not know where tis path ends. Only that it doth not walk alongside yours, even if ye intersect."

"I see." I pull on my scarf, glancing back at Won-Qu. "Keep an eye on Sheba for me?"

"As ye wish. We doth believe thy master was right, though. Te evidence doth stare at us in thy face."

"Are you telling me to stay away?"

"For thy health? Yes. Tis a temporary issue. Ye shouldst stay away at night."

"Right…" It did not sit well with me, but for now, I'd accept Won-Qu's judgement. At least today, I had some things to do. Won-Qu nodded, lifting his mighty form from his perch, and fading through the wall.

I wanted to see Sheba, if only to know what she was doing, but business came before pleasure. It'd probably take a bit to be ready for this.

The temple was large. There was no doubt about that. However, as I passed villagers whose homes had been incinerated, it was very obvious that it was never designed to house all of Lama. The many rooms had hastily been converted into living quarters. In comparison, we had slept like kings in many ways. It didn't quite sit well with me. After all, they lived here, they should live in comfort.

The children were most affected. It was obvious they weren't coping particularly well. These people needed a miracle.

"Ether?"

"Yes, Felix?" The Djinni sounded strained. Probably because Sheba was busy.

"Can I borrow Sheba's power? Or is this a bad time?"

"... Now is a bad time. I'll get Simoom to ask the master when a good time is, but I'd guess this afternoon. Why?"

"The people here need a miracle." I muttered. A miracle. Normally that was a word reserved for an act of god. I wasn't sure I liked what I was becoming. It reminded me of the stories of the God Emperor.

"Ehehehehe. You are beginning to realise the path you are walking." Ershin's presence did not surprise me. The armour was slow to move. It took me a moment to realise that it had a child in it, giggling incessantly as the armour bounced and rocketed around. "Are you okay with this, Felix?"

"... Maybe." I muttered. "Do you know where Jen is?"

"Your sister? She was exploring the town." Ershin answered, bouncing above the ground. "Alex said to remind you to eat. Ershin has done so. So says Ershin. Vroooooooom!" And with that, the armour was gone. It was hard to believe that it's master was an Endless with how it acted, but…

I just shook my head.

"It is good for the children." I glanced to my left, where an elderly man was sitting. "But laughter replaces no beds."

"No, it doesn't." I muttered.

"You are adepts. Can you…"

"Maybe." I wasn't going to give him false hope. In his eyes, though, I could see the beginnings of the glimmer of hope. I didn't like this.

This would be the beginnings of dragons being worshiped again. Perhaps it was an inevitability, but at the same time, it meant that we would be inevitably brought into conflict with the Xian. The ways of the Vale and Prox would have to begin to spread.

The decision was heavy.

But looking in the old man's eyes, my mind was made up.

Finding something to eat took entirely too long. I also didn't like what I found, wolfing down a bowl of nothing but rice. It wasn't a real breakfast, but this place had nothing else to give, so I couldn't complain. With that, I made my way to the bottom floor, and into the burned wreckage of the town.

In order to rebuild, it would have to all be cleared. That was my first conclusion.

"Jenna!" I called out to my sister as I made my way to the former well. Their footprints were here, and they were fresh. I just couldn't work out where they were.

Yes, Felix?

I blinked as a ruby serpent slipped out of the wreckage of the well. She was a dragon. That shouldn't surprise me so much.

"Is it safe?"

There is a cavern system beneath Lama. Nothing that should get in the way, according to Isaac. I'm not so sure.

"... Plant-life?"

Moss. Plenty of it. Some roots of something I couldn't identify.

"I see. We might want Isaac to foreman then. I could use a hand bringing material up." The idea forming in my head was a simple one. We needed a lot of wood and rock fast. If there was plant-life beneath the village, then we simply would drag it to the surface. Jenna's maw lowered in agreement. Her magical abilities were far greater then Isaac's, anyway.

Should you come and have a look then?

"In a moment. Where is Isaac?"

Fishing, if you'd believe it.

Jenna's snort was a impressive thing, a small plume of flame leaving her nostrils. That didn't surprise me too much.

"Then he's with Alex?"

How did you guess?

"Saturos would be watching the monks train. Fighting is how he lives, after all." I answered. "Although let's be real, he'd be protecting that 'greatest warrior' pride of his."

And Alex wouldn't?

"Alex lives in the area. He's probably seen enough of it." I muttered, glancing down the well. "Did a lake dry up?"

No, it got blocked. This well is now useless, but I think we can make a new one on the other side of the square.

"..." I closed my eyes, stretching my senses down. I could feel fishes and insects and… something else. Something small. "… Clever. Stupid, but clever."

What is?

"Their livestock sought refuge underground. We'll have to herd them out before we can rebuild." I reached up to Jenna's crown, grasping a horn as she tossed my onto the base of her neck. "Reminds you of old days, doesn't it?"

Just because my form is larger then yours?

"It isn't anymore."

Your fiance helping doesn't count, Felix.

"Isaac helping doesn't either." I shot back. Jenna just snorted again, something resembling laughter as she retreated back down the well.

Very well. I suppose it doesn't. It is pretty down here. It'll be a pity to seal it back up.

Jenna was right about that. The caverns were bathed in the glow of shining moss and smelled of fresh water. Never mind just water, I was sure there was a lake down here.

It is nice, isn't it?

"You're right. It will be a pity to seal this." I mutter, as Jenna takes me through the caverns. They needed some shoring up, and the roots needed a lot of moving, but we could work with this. "Maybe we should mold a cave entrance?"

Something to think about.

Indeed, it was.

-​

I did not see Sheba that night. Won-Qu refused to meet my gaze, and in an instant, I knew why. He was keeping us apart, at least for now.

It was hard to explain how much I'd come to rely on her presence. I missed her already.

"Hama, when do you next train your bodies?" Dinner was the only time I saw the master of the temple. She regarded the question as a idle curiosity, before she answered.

"As the sun rises. We move to the winds after the midday meditation." Her answer gave me my time span. I nodded, slowly eating the food. It was simple, rice, some sort of soup, and what I was sure was fish. Isaac was very proud of himself, so he must have gotten quite the haul.

I suspect he went swimming.

My stomach almost refused the food. Won-Qu just hummed behind me, watching absently.

"Ye doth not like it?"

"I don't feel hungry." I admitted. While I could force most of it down, the rice from the morning seemed like it had sustained me entirely too much.

"We see."

"No wisdom for me?"

"Ye knoweth the answer already as te ye hunger, or lack thereof." Won-Qu responded. "Little hath changed except…" He trailed off. I got the picture.

I also pointedly ignored him for the rest of the evening. It was childish, but it was the only way to make my displeasure known.

The next morning, I hatched my plan.

"Alright. Isaac, you're in charge of thatching the roofs and making sure we build them right." I declared, as the three of us stood at the temple gates. "Jenna, lift the roots. I'll mold them."

"We have one problem. We need to clear the village." Jenna noted. I shook my head. I could feel the Astral gene screaming inside my body already as I started to gather my power.

"I'll clear it. It won't be a problem. Sheba doesn't need her powers right now." I answered. Borrowed power. Ultimate power. Dragons were revered as gods because they could bring about miracles. Jenna nodded, as she clapped her hand to Isaac's. I could see the gene transfer between them.

When had I become so perceptive of this?

My form began to change, and the world was suddenly much smaller, as I lifted my head, scales gleaming silver. My spines spread and my wings shot forth. I let out a mighty roar, and with that roar, the town surrounding Lama temple simply ceased to exist.

Nah P'ung!

"Nice." Jenna's snicker was not lost on me. "You leveled a burned village. Good job."

"Think you can level the ground?" Isaac asked. I nodded, my maw ripping open as I yawned. This was a lot like stretching my legs and arms at last.

Nah P'ung!

The world roared again, and the land was leveled. Isaac's grin was becoming infectious, as he started to stride forward.

"Well, time to make a miracle, hey?"

It is. Where do we start?

"I say we go outside in." Isaac noted as Jenna's shape began to shift, turning into a great, golden serpent. "That way we don't have to move too much. Let's see…"

The work was barely that of a day, yet in one day, we erected a whole town.

Once more, dragon's had brought a miracle into the world.

-​

I slept without dinner that night. I hadn't used enough energy to even need a snack. Won-Qu stared at me for a while, but I didn't say anything. There wasn't a need to.

After all, we both understood what had changed. I missed her. Even if it exhausted me.

"Ye art mad with me." Won-Qu's first words to me the next morning were to the point. I rolled my eyes at that.

"No, I'm not."

"Ye art avoiding me."

"Maybe I am."

"Dancing around the point doth not suit ye. If ye art mad, simply say so." Won-Qu answered. "Ye health art my first concern, m'lord."

"Maybe. But you aren't doing my feelings any good." I shot back.

"Then ye shouldst make good on ye side of yonder. Tis not the case of partnership one sided, m'lord."

"Maybe."

"Ye art scaring us. We doth remember the last time one of ye uttered maybe."

"It's just a word."

"Last time it doth nearly end the world."

"I see." Won-Qu just huffed as I walked out of the room. I had someone to track down at this point. I wasn't sure where Hama was when I left the room, but peeking at the life force of everyone in the temple told me where she was.

She was easily the biggest life force here outside of my sister and Isaac. She was also at the top of the temple. I wasn't sure if that was just coincidence, or…

The top of the temple was simple. A small chamber and mat that overlooked the sun. Hama's eyes were closed and she was facing the mountains in the distance. I recognised the one in the centre as Mount Aleph.

Of course they would face the place the Golden Sun set.

"You have upheld your end of the bargain."

"You are surprised?"

"No. I was concerned when you skipped dinner, but the guardian assured me there was no issue."

"I don't need to eat much." I answered. Hama's posture told me she had raised an eyebrow at that, as she shifted to face me.

"You do not need to omit. You are no longer quite a human." She noted. "But you… I must admit, I don't understand."

"Understand what?"

"Why you would wish to return to the trappings of mortality. The goal, in the end, of many of my disciples is to escape such shackles." Hama admitted.

"And your goal?"

"...A bit more difficult to explain." Even in saying that, though, I understood. I couldn't explain my goals either. "Thank you for bringing Ivan back. I feared he would be caught up in the war."

"Is that the worry of a master?" I asked. "Or…" No, I discarded the thought. It wasn't really my business. "We remade your town, as promised."

"I expected it to take weeks. You delivered a miracle in hours." Hama admitted. "I wonder, could the old masters of Venus done the same?"

"We won't ever know, will we? There are no records of the old Venus tribe." I answered. "Not like the Anemos."

"You worked out the source of our teachings. You are… concerning."

"I've been around Sheba enough to know what she does on instinct resembles what you do with practice." I noted. "Actually, it was Saturos who worked it out."

"He perhaps is even more terrifying." Hama admitted. "Still, you come here seeking something."

"Don't play too coy. I know you read my mind."

"And an incomprehensible mind it is. I have no idea how Sheba tolerates almost living inside it." Hama shot back. I rolled my eyes at that. "I suppose you don't realise how unusual your mind is, even compared to your fellows."

"Is that a problem?"

"... No. Not for your journey." Hama mused. "You wish to talk about what I mentioned… three nights ago."

"Is memory hard for all Jupiter Adepts?"

"Yes. We tend to have too much crowding in our heads." Hama nodded. "You wish to talk about your general fatigue."

"You said Sheba was keeping me from resting."

"Yes. She invades your mind while you both sleep. It is a place of refuge. Your mind attempts to repel her and thus you wake up without proper rest. You must have been experiencing it for some time."

"Probably. I never noticed."

"Your inability to take proper care of yourself is one of her worries, yes." Hama snickered at that. "If you need your fears allayed, I think by the end of next week she will be able to see the worlds truth."

Wait…

"Next week?" I'd only really planned to stay one week. Hama nodded.

"These arts are the arts that are her birthright, Felix." She noted. "But you fear for time."

"We are on a time limit."

"Then you must ask yourself, is the power she gains worth waiting? Or maybe you need a new plan?"

"You aren't making this easy." I put that to the back of my mind. It wasn't important right now. "From how you are talking, I'm guessing Sheba can't just… stop entering my head."

"You are linked. In ways I would consider disturbing. She seeks you out in her sleep. I'd call you soul mates if I believed in such things. More likely, you are somewhere she believes is completely safe. If you put your mind to it, in such a state she would be destroyed if you resisted her in earnest."

"Then the fact I don't repel her very well is the only reason she's alive?"

"Repelling another, physically or mentally, is a matter of restraint. Destroying another takes effort, does it not? Even with your blade, killing is no effortless endeavour."

"No, it's not." And that was what separated us from beasts. "So how do we get around it."

"You don't wish to just keep her out?"

"You implied there was a easier solution."

"Easier? You have a strange thought on easier." Hama noted. "… It is nothing I can teach you in a reasonable amount of time. You are no Jupiter Adept. Such practice might be beyond you." I wasn't an idiot, though. Hama would not have mentioned it if she did not believe that she could teach me.

"Then how do I learn it?"

"... I am practiced at a certain art." Hama admitted. "It may take days to work, but I possess the power of transference. I can grant abilities to others, who are willing."

"Then why not just teach with it?"

"What makes you think I do not? Most of the arts we practice here are based around when to use it, not how. I accelerate the training of the disciples quite significantly in many respects."

"Including Sheba?"

"What she requires cannot be just transferred. She requires discipline, not knowledge. She knows by instinct much that I spent years learning." Hama admitted. "My family descends from those the Anemos left behind, Felix. Sheba is very much like the stories say of the Anemos."

"And what do they say?" The monk hummed to herself as she stood, taking up a staff that she'd left by the wall. It was an impressive length of metal, a tarnished sort of red.

"They say the Anemos do not possess individuality." She answered. "Such is something Sheba learned by being in society with us. Knowing that, do you understand why she finds keeping her mind to herself so difficult?"

"... The Anemos don't?"

"No, they don't. The Anemos think and act as one mind with many bodies. We must, on a primal level, seem so alien to her." Hama answered, spinning her staff. "Draw your sword. I would have my heart beat in time with yours."

"... Is there a reason?"

"I wish to know how you are. One of the ways to see the truth of another is to see their heart in battle." Hama's answer was oddly like Saturos. I pursed my lips, pulling my dao from my side with a hiss. It felt… extremely light compared to the last time I'd drawn it. "That, and linking hearts with another is part of how transference works."

"I see." We started circling each other without a comment. "So Sheba is an Anemos. Where are the rest of them?"

"She seeks them." Hama noted as she struck, her staff snaking around to my head. I took a step back. I didn't even blink as it grazed the tip of my nose. "She will not find them."

"Because they aren't here. Then the story of the moon is at least partially true?" My sword swing was fast. Hama slipped underneath it. She was very fast. The butt of her staff came for my head, but I simply stepped beside it.

"They say the Anemos left in a floating city. Some believe it became the moon. I believe it is above the world." Hama answered. Another strike. Another strike. Another strike.

I kept stepping to the side. It wasn't until the sixth that I needed to parry, and in that moment, I cut back. She bounced out of the way, but I was already beginning to understand.

"You aren't a warrior." I muttered. My dao returned to it's sheathe a moment later. "This won't work."

"But our hearts-"

"I draw my sword to kill. You raise your staff for recreation and in a pinch defence. We don't fight for anything approaching the same reasons. This won't work as a form of meditation." I muttered. I could feel it on a primal level. While our hearts might have begun to beat in time, we hadn't even entered the same plane of understanding. Hama looked disappointed, but she relented.

"It is… Difficult." She admitted. "Warriors are the hardest to teach."

"Because we kill."

"Because you kill." She agreed. "I…"

"Teach me."

"Teach you what?" She paused, before blinking. "Wait, you want to learn how to read properly?"

"I come from the Vale and I spent four years in Prox. Would you believe I can barely read properly?" I shot back. Hama just stared at me for the longest moment, before bursting out laughing. "What?"

"You do not come off as someone who can't read, Felix."

"I only read enough to get by. Jenna was…" I let that fade away. It wasn't important. Hama just continued to laugh.

"I will teach you to read. It is the least I can do in exchange for your miracle." She answered. "Perhaps you will understand how fast one can learn when you put talents together soon."

-​

I was exhausted that night. My lack of desire to eat at all was beginning to worry me. Won-Qu looked at me oddly as I put my mind to reading on my own. It was very different. Dare I say it, it was difficult, too.

"You know, it takes a few days for that to start to settle. It isn't going to work immediately." I blinked. I wasn't sure how long I'd been attempting to read, but Sheba had slipped in at some point. "Not coping well, I hear?"

I was beginning to understand why Hama was confused at our relationship. Sheba had slipped back into my mind as if she'd belonged there.

"Just missing you being around." I admitted. "Not being hungry sucks." She looked a bit different in that sort of monk robe that she'd been given. Her arms were covered in bruises, and I knew there were probably more under her clothes. "Sore?"

"A bit. Fighting with your hands sucks." Sheba pouted. I patted the side of my bed, and she joined me without a single comment. "I prefer a staff."

"Or lightning?"

"Or lightning." She agreed. I took her arm in my hands and let my psynergy run wild. "You don't have to fix them. I'll just get more tomorrow."

"You grow stronger faster if you let yourself heal." I retort. "Recovering after training is just as important."

"Saturos wisdom?"

"Menardi, actually. Saturos just accepts that its right." I answered. "How is it?"

"Interesting. Funny to see people struggle to make a little eddy. Not so funny when I can't do something really simple."

"I see." Sheba just snickered, leaning in against me.

"I saw your miracle."

"Surprised?"

"No. I was there when you became…"

"A god."

"Well, I wouldn't have called it that, but it's probably the closest word we have for it, huh?" Sheba noted, biting her lip for a moment. "I want to fly with you again."

"We could tomorrow."

"I'd like that." Won-Qu just snorted in the corner of the room. It felt good that we glared at him in unison.

"Verily, we doth understand we art defeated. Ye may wish to run thy plan past thy master first." Won-Qu noted. I just snorted.

"Sure, whatever fluff ball."

"We art far more dignified."

"No, I agree with Sheba. You've been a wet fur ball lately." Won-Qu just glared for a moment, before lowering his head.

"So, reading huh?" Sheba noted. I just chuckled.

"Not you too."

"I knew you were a country bumpkin, but-"

"Sheba, you come from the middle of nowhere."

"I at least lived in Tolbi for a while."

"So you were taught?"

"Well… no. I just ripped it out of peoples heads." I ruffled her hair at that.

"Then you don't get to comment."

"Course I do." She retorted. "I, unlike you, can at least read."

"Shush you."

You…
[X] Stay for an extra week. (Skill Unlock [Sheba]: Seeing the Truth of the World)
[ ] Leave after one week.
-[ ] Head to Xian. (Add two days to your journey)
-[ ] Head to Kolima. (Direct, but you will get caught in a checkpoint)
-[ ] Head to Fuchin Temple. (Roundabout, but it is a back road)

 

[BlackHadou]

Frankly, aren't you missing the point here a little Won-Qu? The problem has never been about his body needing rest, the problem is that his mind needs rest. Sleep is still necessary for that.

Click to shrink...

"Unmoving Ones doth not normally require rest. Mind or body. Understand thy nature and thy enemy."

Also I wonder, was he only experiencing hunger and stuff through Sheba?

Click to shrink...

"I... uh... don't think we've technically needed to eat since Mount Aleph. We should have starved while we were out cold, but it didn't do us too much harm. Most of our issue back then was a body with no energy to heal..."

"Tis the case the Endless art not meant te become injured. Ye wouldst need excess energy in such circumstances."

I think this is important, though additional question, if we choose otherwise, will Sheba be able to build on what she's learned so far to eventually unlock this anyways?

Click to shrink...

"The ability to see the truth of the world is supposedly of Anemos origin. There's no reason to think she wouldn't."

"I don't think we will. The Anemos don't have a sense of self. If I don't already know it, I don't think I'll suddenly learn it without help."

"Might be a problem when we get to Atteka. The Jupiter Lighthouse was built near the Anemos homeland. It might have defences related to the Anemos."

"Are the others like that?"

"Mercury certainly is, according to Alex. He's been in it before. Mars also is. Venus and Jupiter would be unusual at this point if they didn't have defences related to the tribes that lived near them."

"... Getting into Venus is going to be a problem. The Venus tribe is long gone. Who knows how it is protected?"

 

[BlackHadou]

Sheba's visit did not feel like it lasted long enough, but she was back in the morning, pushing my side excitedly like a giddy child with too much candy. It was reassuring, almost like a return to normalcy in many ways.

That was what I'd been missing, normalcy. What I considered normal had simply not been present while I was here.

"Come on, come on! Master Hama said we can go so long as we're back before the sun passes the mountains!" I rubbed my eyes for a moment, before nodding. It was reasonable enough. Sheba had training to do, after all.

"Give me a moment."

"You're a dragon, I thought you were meant to be big and scary when you wake up." I just glared at Sheba playfully.

"I need to get dressed."

"Right, right. Human for the moment." She was skipping steps, but that didn't bother me too much, as I started to draw my shirt over my shoulders. Then she winced, her hands reaching out to help. "Sorry. I… forgot for a moment."

"About my arm?"

"I was too excited. I stopped thinking about it." Her help was welcome. Soon we were out in the halls, the monkette to be spinning at a cheerful gait. It almost made me wish that we lived in a different time.

It did make me wonder if she would really be okay with the life of a nomad. Settling down simply wasn't likely for me anytime soon. I had no real desire to become an 'Unmoving One', as Won-Qu called them.

"It doesn't bother me, Felix."

"You say that now, but that could change."

"Maybe it will, but the world is always changing. There will always be something interesting to see." I bit my tongue on my response. It was a bitter one.

What about in three or four centuries, when I've seen all there is to see and you are gone?

I didn't voice the thought. It seemed to cruel to.

The air outside was crisp, and the night was still ebbing. The moon was out, but I could see the beginnings of the sun's first struggle over the horizon. It was a very good time to fly. My form shifted without a second thought, Rhapsody and Venus mixing together to form a great golden earth dragon. It was the first time since our time near Chek that I stopped to actually observe my own form, great feathered wings spreading around us.

"Proud of it, pretty boy?" Sheba teased cheekily, her hands gently tracing the crest of my skull. I just snorted, hooking under her and throwing her onto my neck.

Yes. I should thank you. If I never met you, I'd have never become this.

"Hee. Yip yip!"

I'm not a horse.

"Sure, but you do fly! Let's go!" I just let out the laugh of dragons as I spread my wings, my legs coiling like a pair of springs, before I shot off into the air. The rush of the wind on my scales was fantastic, and Sheba let out a whoop of joy as we soared into the sky. Within only a minute, we were already approaching the clouds in the night sky.

The sun is beautiful as it rises. It was a great crimson flower on the horizon, painting the distant forest and coastline. I could see a few dim glows of orange in the distance, and with them, the great petrified forest named Mogall.

"Looks ominous, doesn't it?" Sheba noted, as she stood atop my head.

Aye. They call it the Mogall. It was once a plain, some century or two ago. They say the petrified forest emerged overnight.

"There's not really a need for us to go there, though." Sheba noted. "We can just head north towards Kolima and ignore Xian entirely, or even cross a ford and go to Fuchin."

You know the area?

"Master Hama trains mind and body. We were doing geography yesterday." Sheba admitted. "I've never been this far north. Ivan knows this place like the back of his hand."

How is he doing?

"Poorly. He's even less fit then I am." Sheba snickered. "The merchant life is good for him, but he isn't a warrior. None of them are."

I know. You aren't really either.

"I can at least fight." Sheba huffed. I chuckled at that, spinning and soaring through the sky.

Perhaps. They never developed the needed switch to fight. It's a little sad you have it.

"It's hard to look at people and think 'they need to live'." Sheba admitted. "Some things just are. I've been seeing death in my dreams for all my life."

Dreams. They aren't the same as reality.

"Mine feel like they are." I let out a strangled roar as Sheba jumped of my head, giggling the whole way as I swooped down under her to catch her.

At least warn me!

"It keeps you on your toes." She called from my back. "So, what's that forest over there?"

It took me a moment to realise she was pointing north, as I spun back up to a height I felt was actually safe. In the distance, I could see civilisation waking up from a deep sleep. To the right, a great forest and some small flames.

Kolima, at a guess. With our route, we would have to pass there to reach Bilibin.

"I see." Sheba paused for a long moment, before nodding. "And we need to stay in Bilibin a while?"

Apparently the paladin order there has a spell we need.

"The Order of the White Tree? Yeah, the name pops up in your head a few times." Sheba paused for a long moment. "We don't have them down in Gondowan. What's a paladin?" The question nearly made me stop flapping my wings. It never occurred to me that Sheba'd simply never run into the word.

A special caste of warrior. It goes soldier, knight, paladin, in that order. Soldiers are the rank and file. Knights are special soldiers, in some ways closer to nobles. They wear huge armour suits and ride horses into battle.

"I know those two."

Paladins are a sort of step to the side. They also use huge sets of metal, but they also use… well, magic to fight. I always assumed it was just special psynergy, but no, the Wise One calls it magic.

"And you trust him?"

Ladon made him. I don't trust him to be on our side, but he also cannot lie.

Sheba fell silent for a long moment, before leaning forward over my head.

"You wanted to be one."

It was a boyhood dream, nothing more. I'd never considered it nearly enough to actually do it.

"Yet you were saving up a nest egg to leave the Vale. You never were going to stay."

I'm not Isaac. My sweetheart didn't live in the same village as me.

"You didn't have a sweetheart."

Do now. Besides, the Vale always seemed too small. Maybe its just my doom rearing its maw again, but I think it was inevitable that I'd break the taboo sooner or later and just leave.

"Taboo?"

Dragons aren't to leave the Vale. That is the rule.

In hindsight, the rule was made for our protection, but eighteen year old me could not have cared less. Would I have regretted it? The only circumstance in which I'd have been allowed to return to the Vale after leaving without the Wise One's consent was the one I was currently in, after all.

My gaze kept travelling the horizon. Mount Aleph still stood in all it's glory. Beneath it, little sparks of orange reigned the fields. Sparks of…

…

"..." Neither Sheba nor I spoke at that moment. I understood what was happening. "It's okay Felix."

The Wise One was sworn to non-interference. Even so, those sparks were far too big. I knew what it meant. In my heart, I wanted to turn and incinerate Xian on the spot.

That, in and of itself, ruined the mood. I found the ground soon after.

"I must admit, you are back soo-"

"Where's Won-Qu." My voice cut Hama off almost immediately as I returned inside the temple, back in my human form. The adept seemed at a loss for what I meant. "Won-Qu! Step forth!"

"As ye command, m'lord." The Kirin appeared nary a moment later. "What doth ye require? Ye hath returned much too early."

"What is A-Tur doing?" I was already marching towards my room, my mind racing on what I could actually do. Even if we turned around and the three of us flew back to Mount Aleph, we were nearly twenty hours by flight away. We'd never make it before the village was long since burned.

"M'lord? We shall check." Won-Qu fell silent, his eyes closing, before they snapped open. "Facing bedlam and destruction. Yon people hath been sealed within the Yorae Shrine. Those who were not tending the nightly fields art safe."

"Good." It was the best that could be hoped for.

"M'lord, I must urge calm. Do not respond."

"To hell with calm, Won-Qu! That's my home on fire." I spun on the hound, but Won-Qu merely regarded me with a critical eye.

"If ye doth retaliate, then ye must leave Sheba behind. Doth ye wish to do that? Attacking Xian will end thy ability to slow. Ye whilst have te rush to Bilibin lest the Xian catch back up." Won-Qu responded. "Ye wouldst retain their animosity for all time."

"Like they now have mine?" I spat. Won-Qu's gaze was hard.

"Tis most difficult, we find, te let go. Serve thy revenge in its own time, if ye must." Won-Qu answered. "Ye art committed now. Let Sheba finish. Ye heart will regret all if ye doth not let go."

In that moment, I understood what he meant. I let out a long sigh, a snarl, and the my hand went straight through a stone pillar.

The number of gasps around me told me I shouldn't have been able to do that. I didn't care.

I needed to work out my aggression.

-​

I will be the first to admit that the nearby plains bore a significantly reduced monster population after I was done with it. The Force Dragon might have been the closest to human, but there was also a visceral pleasure in ripping monsters limb from limb.

It was almost evening when I finally returned. Saturos, it seems, had been waiting for my return, for he pulled me into a room almost immediately.

"Okay, what the hell happened? Sheba has been on edge all day." His voice was low. I contemplated blowing him off, but that was just the rage of a dragon talking.

"We went flying this morning. The Xian attacked the Vale. A-Tur apparently hid the village inside the shrine, but…"

"There were definitely casualties." Saturos muttered. "That explains why Hama has been keeping the married couple busy. What are we going to do about it?"

"We?"

"Have you forgotten that we are friends and allies here? I swore to help you, and I will. If that means burning Xian to the ground for this, then we will." Saturos answered dryly. "You would do it if the Myridian Tribe was harmed. Don't take me for ungrateful, Felix." I almost responded that we'd kill them all on the spot, but my mind overrode my heart in that instance.

"For now? Nothing. If we move, we jeopardize everything we came here for." I answered softly. "After Sheba is finished, though…"

"So you are thinking about it." Saturos muttered. "You are aware that to do this, you would have to fight a nation of dragon slayers."

"I don't fear them."

"But should you?" Saturos shot back. "They are probably very good at killing your people."

"That was centuries ago. Besides, I have the Autarch." The moment I brought it up, I knew I shouldn't have. Saturos' gaze hardened.

"And who knows what using it will cost you? Take the time, think it through." His council was welcome, I realised. I was being ruled by my heart almost entirely. That I'd even tabled the Autarch showed that. His gaze softened, and he clapped his arm on my shoulder. "I'll start making some plans, but you won't be able to keep this from the others for long."

"I don't intend to." I admitted. "Just until Sheba is done."

It was going to be a long week.

-​

"You are calmer. I see you ate this morning." Hama noted as I joined her at the top of the temple. She seemed almost serene, watching the sun rise. "Did you time your arrival with my disciples, perhaps?"

"Just Sheba." I admitted. I didn't say why. She just nodded, hand under her chin.

"I cast my gaze to the distance last night. I can confirm the Vale is gone." She noted. "It's people have vanished. While there was a funeral pyre, it was much too small for the number of people living there."

"Then you know what I've come seeking."

"... You wish the secret to letting Sheba remain in your mind. You need to be ready to leave come the end of next week." Hama noted. "I can provide it. You will be able to read next week. When you can read, you will know you have the knowledge you seek."

"Thank you. I don't know how to repay you."

"How can you say that? You rebuilt Lama in a single day. You gave the people who had lost all hope for the future hope once more. You enacted a miracle where if we had been forced to try and provide for a whole month in the temple, people would surely have died. This temple cannot be said to be hospitable. The elderly and the infirm cannot survive within its walls." Hama shot back. "No matter, you have something else you wish to ask."

"Yes. About the Mogall."

"The Mogall?" Hama blinked for a moment. "Ah, you wish to know about the Xian and their little country. Well, I suppose we can cover that in between reading sessions. Take a seat. I have a hour or two before the morning spar."

In hindsight, I could understand why Sheba made fun of me for not being able to read. I would enjoy this a lot more under other circumstances. Learning the alphabet, or rather, the bits of it that I didn't know wasn't difficult. Learning to write with my left hand was much harder.

"Alright, that's enough." Hama finally raised her hand. "You are getting stressed, and I don't believe you will get any further this morning. Come, you may ask as we walk."

"You want something of me?"

"My disciples could use a workout. Your sword arm looks like it is getting dull, no offence." I almost burst out laughing at that.

"I'm right handed."

"Your right hand is crippled. I would suppose there's a great story behind that?" Mold curled around that part of my memory instinctively at that.

"There is."

"No matter. Even left handed, I'm pretty sure you could defeat every one of us." Hama noted. "Some humility for my elder disciples is due."

"Well, I don't mind. So long as you don't tell Saturos."

"He will probably see anyway. He suggested it." I was going to throttle him later. "Ask away."

"Xian the village is too small to support even the army we saw heading towards the Vale weeks ago. They have other villages, don't they?"

"The Hidden Mogall, yes. It's a great village within the Mogall Forest, or so they say." That made it clear why Smog simply skipped destroying Xian. It wasn't out of fear, but simply how inconvenient for him it would be. However, an idea was already forming for me. "No one travels into the Mogall and returns. The Xian village is more a trading outpost then anything else."

"They call the Mogall the petrified forest, but it isn't really, is it?" I asked. If I used Gasp…

"No, it is very much alive. The Xian use that to their advantage. The wood they use is alive." Hama noted. "Perhaps the wood is more twisted then they are culturally. The stuff is considered a moral authority by some of their monks."

Maybe…

We entered the training hall shortly after that. The disciples were entirely too egotistical about their chances, as Hama declared me there opponent and handed me a staff. With a swift kick, I'd turned it into a sword.

Sheba was probably the only person there prepared for the number of bruises I left them all with.

-​

"When were you going to tell us?"

It had been two days. Jenna had found out. I suspect Ivan had been the one to tell her.

"When we left the temple."

"So your fiance can finish learning to go hiyaaah? Felix, our home is gone!"

"A-Tur hid everyone in the Yorae Shrine. Most of them survived." I hated how calm I sounded. I wanted to scream and rage, but I was merely speaking like we were discussing spoilt milk. "They probably have already started to rebuild."

"They got past the Wanderlust Plains! The Vale isn't safe! How can you just-"

"I KNOW, Jenna." I snapped. "But right now I can't do anything yet."

"Because of Sheba?"

"Because of Sheba." I muttered.

"It's not all about her."

"If we leave, we might as well have just gone straight to Bilibin." I retorted. "We are committed, Jenna."

"If you won't do something, then I… Isaac and I will…"

"You aren't killers." I spat. "You don't have the heart to go and just raze Xian to the ground on your own." The fire in my heart had ignited again. "Nor do you have the means. You need me to come with you, but I'm not moving."

"How can you be so calm?"

"Because I killed just about every monster in the local area. I might have radically changed the local ecosystem." I shot back. "Where is Isaac?"

"... I think trying to do the same thing you did." Jenna admitted, letting out a long breath. "We can't just let this go."

"The world comes first." I answered. "We need to get to Mercury."

"You said nothing about the return trip."

"There won't be a return trip." Not if I had anything to say about it. I wasn't sure what I would do yet, but we were not coming back this way. It would take too long. I let out a long breath. "Just a little longer. We need the week, anyway."

"Why? Besides your fiance."

"Because I need Ershin to sit still for a bit."

"Felix?"

"You too, actually. You can probably do it too." I let out a long breath. "When we get to Bilibin, we need to get a spell from the paladins. It would help if we could actually use magic before we got there, wouldn't it?"

"... Should I get Isaac?"

"Probably."

That seemed to placate my sister. The lack of things to do would get to us soon, though.

-​

"You look stressed." Ershin stated the obvious when I finally found it. We were in our second week. It should not have been this difficult to find Ershin with some spare time to hand. "You have been seeking me. So says Ershin."

"And you've been avoiding me." I shot back. Ershin just laughed, shaking its head.

"Avoiding? No. Waiting for you to calm down? Yes. I know why you have come. Won-Qu warned me that you would be coming." Ershin answered dryly. "If you had tried to learn in your previous state, we wouldn't currently be talking in a temple."

"That volatile, huh?"

"Absolutely. So once said Ershin." Ershin sat down by a wall, it's gaze raking across my form. "You aren't ready. In some ways, that is good, in others, that is bad. You need another few years to truly be ready."

"We don't have years."

"No, we don't. It is simply the truth, though. So says Ershin." Ershin paused, before lifting a hand. A small blew bird left the sleeve of it's armour. "The truth is, magic is a cultivated talent less then an art. Your abilities will be limited and grow as time goes on. Spells are much like programs, you are simply telling the world how to respond."

"The hell is a program?" I raised an eyebrow at that. Ershin blinked, before laughing again.

"Oh my. I will have to dumb down my language. Think of it like the script of a play, Felix." Ershin responded.

"Dumb down?"

"Ershin should note that Ershin was the one who explained how magic worked. She was… very advanced compared to the world you understand. So once said Ershin." Ershin answered in it's own incomprehensible way. I just groaned.

This was going to take a while.

"I'll get Jenna."

"Not for the first lesson you won't. Jenna will understand fast. You will not." Ershin shot back. "Now sit down."

I regretted everything within five minutes. Ershin was a harsh taskmaster.

At the end of the week, you…
[X] Head to Kolima. (Direct, but you will get caught in a checkpoint)
[ ] Head to Fuchin Temple. (Roundabout, but it is a back road)
[ ] Head to Xian. (You will lose four days at least)
-[ ] Burn it to the ground with Jenna and Isaac.
-[ ] Infiltrate the village.
-[ ] Divinity (Yorae/Gasp/Astral) (WARNING: YOU WILL GO BERSERK)

 

[BlackHadou]

Also, the order of Paladins we want to get a spell from is in Kolima?

Click to shrink...

"No, the spell we want is in Bilibin. Kolima is just directly in the way."

"It's worth noting that even if we go to Fuchin, we still have to pass by Kolima Village proper. We'd just avoid the checkpoint."

Kolima is direct, will involve a checkpoint. Is that a Xian checkpoint or another faction's?

Click to shrink...

"The Xian must have passed Kolima on the way to the Vale, given the direction their little army approached from. Whether that means some remained is another question."

Inflicting a genocide on the Xian sounds nice, but the circumstances unfortunately don't allow for it. A pursuit for another time.

Click to shrink...

"You rat bastard."

"Kill them all!"

Hm. Sheba's character sheet updated to reflect the fruits of her training.

Click to shrink...

"Please... can we just... never come back. I'll keep practising, promise."

And like that Kolima is now an endearing prospect. Kolima all the way baby! Let's hope they have a welcome wagon for us!

Click to shrink...

"Kolima is a lumberage. I don't know why you think there will be a welcome mat. We'll be lucky if there is alcohol."

"A decent beer works too."

See, Mold has the spirit.

Click to shrink...

"If it were up to me, I'd rot that entire section of the continent."

Excessive, kills innocents. If we go after the Xian directly, you're either dialing it back or sitting it out.

Click to shrink...

"There are no innocents. Only varying levels of blood. This is not the first genocide on our people the Xian have performed."

Are you telling me that in this world lumberjacks don't drink themselves stupid on their days off?

Click to shrink...

"Ignore the kid. She isn't that worldly."

"Oi!"

So it's basically 'Bilbin by way of Kolima, Bilbin by way of Fuchin, or BURN THE XIAN.

Click to shrink...

"Basically..."

"It was inevitable that at some point interests would start to compete. The heart wants one thing, the mind knows of others..."

This is dodging the point to pull something like a sins of the father, which is an idea I don't have affection for

Click to shrink...

"The prohibition on dragons leaving the Vale was in place for a reason. You say it's sins of the father, but the Xian have consistently throughout history proven that they will do exactly what they did in the Brood war."

"There are no innocents."

"... You might be a tad biased here."

"Do they have to kill one of us before we do something about it?"

But right now, I don't have any reason to believe that there aren't decent people that happen to be in a society that means that their taxes and whatnot happen to go toward supporting a body that does heinous things. Or that there aren't street rats and slumdwellers, as is the case with most societies that get large enough.

Click to shrink...

"That's a fairly good point. A nation is more then just the military cl-"

"They don't exist."

"Huh?"

"The Xian came into existence at the bidding of the Goddess. We aren't talking about a nation of 'men', as it were. So once said Ershin."

"The stories speak of great stone gargoyles given flesh. I'd presume there's truth to that?"

"The Xian were created to fight the Brood War. Those that resemble humans are the direct descendants of Myria's children. While you might find one or two that would go against the will and orders of the Goddess, and you may find foreigners within the border village, by and large such a thing would be the result of divine intervention from another deity."

"... They can't all be bad. Can they?"

"You aren't dealing with humans anymore when you talk about the Xian. Humans possess the blessing of freewill. The Xian are generally made in imitation of other races. You would recall the bird man and the grassrunner from Vault. While the grassrunner might be a real creature, the bird man most certainly was not. So says Ershin."

"Tis the case that the Xian also hath no need for money. Ye speak of street rats, yet ye refer te a society without currency. Such could not exist amongst them."

"Indeed. While I suppose the possibility exists that humanity infected the Xian and granted them free will, the attack in the Vale would seem to say otherwise."

 

[BlackHadou]

"No, no, no! Focus, Felix! Your emotions will change the outcome!" I let out a groan as Ershin cut me off for what felt like the hundredth time. Jenna snickered opposite me, while Isaac just looked exasperated. I was at least doing better then he was. I could get a flame to materialise in my hands.

Magic, I was learning, was not actually that easy to do at all. Suddenly, those lengthy incantations seemed entirely necessary.

"I get it, I just-"

"No! No you do not get it. That is the problem." Ershin continued, waving its hands about. "You do not compartmentalise. You are such a dragon! So says Ershin."

"Such a dragon?" I blinked. That was a new one. "Is that a problem?"

"Yes! You tend towards one leaning because your mindset is already made up. You aren't opening yourself to new thoughts and feelings. Gah!" The tin-man sounded so very done with me right now. In fairness to it, we'd been at this hours.

Jenna had worked out how to make an icicle within about half an hour, if my judging of the candles was right. We'd almost burned through the candle. That meant Isaac and I had been at this another few hours on top. Maybe even half of the evening. It was frustrating. Making a fire shouldn't have been this hard.

"... I'm sorry." It was a sincere apology, but Ershin just waved it off.

"It's not a matter of skill. It's a matter of perspective." It muttered. "You are more like…" It paused, as if thinking long and hard on something. "Nevermind. You are fatigued. You should rest."

"I can keep going."

"Felix, just because you don't need to sleep doesn't mean Ershin does not. So says Ershin." I blinked as Isaac snorted.

"Something funny, brother mine?"

"Felix, how much have you actually eaten in the last week?" He asked. I didn't answer. I didn't want to answer.

The answer definitely didn't come to three square meals, after all. Ershin did not say a word, as it scribbled something on a scroll. I blinked as it shoved it in my hand.

"We will continue this on the road. So says Ershin." Ershin declared. "Until then, memorise this mantra."

"To cast magic?"

"It should at least let you do so without igniting the rest of us on fire. Be prepared. When you unleash the magic, it will probably explode outward."

"Was Ryu like that? Back in the day, I mean?" I bit my lip as Jenna spoke up. I didn't really want to be compared with some old Brood. Ershin just burst out laughing.

"Ehehehehehehe. No." It was delivered so bluntly it almost felt like a slap to the face. "Ryu's grasp of magic was intuitive. He could replicate a spell after seeing it only once or twice. He just disliked using magic. Said it felt like pulling a tooth out. Considering Fou Lu was where the magical potential of the Yorae Dragon had ended up, I'm not surprised." Ershin paused, before it's gaze fell on me. "No, watching Felix struggle is more akin to watching a sewerage pipe backing up on a mirror."

"Am I that bad?"

"Ershin would have said yes. After all, Ershin struggled with magic for years in much the same way." Ershin answered.

"Then you know how to get past it." Isaac noted.

"Ehehehehehehehe. No." The second time was just as blunt as the first. "Ershin could not tell you how Ershin got past the mental block. After all, one day it just clicked."

"... Great." I just threw up my hands. Ershin laughed, entirely too much. It left soon after. I just kept focusing on the spark in my hands. It shouldn't have been so hard, yet…
Felix, I'm done.
My concentration slipped entirely. Jenna's hands grabbed mine, pushing them together and smothering the flame with a sigh.

"You know, I can see what Ershin means. Your concentration keeps slipping." Jenna noted. "Thinking about someone?"

"... Yes." My voice felt a little too small. "We're leaving tomorrow."

"She's done?"

"Just finished." Isaac just snickered, offering me a piece of fish jerky. I pondered whether or not to take it, but really, it couldn't hurt. The taste was nostalgic, even if I didn't need to actually eat.

"You can't just put it out of sight?" He asked. I shook my head.

"You suck because your wife is in the room. I suck because she's in my head." I surmised. "We're going north. Excited to see the order?"

"... I'm not you, Felix. We met them two summers ago. They needed a sword reforged and Garet's father is the only person who can work with mithril anywhere near here." Isaac shot back.

"I missed all the cool things." I complained. Isaac just chuckled.

"You kinda did." He admitted. "… What are we doing about Xian?"

"For now? Nothing."

"You're just… letting it go?" Isaac sounded incredulous. Jenna's hands around mine became painful as her nails started to dig in. Still, I wasn't about to back down.

"Mercury comes first." I answered. "Especially with the new mountain range in the way."

"Meaning?"

"Ivan and I went over it three or four times this week. Near as we can tell, there's no way back to Tolbi." I answered.

"All the better reason to strike." Isaac shot back. "They'll be looking at the wrong side of the continent."

"Hardly. They'll come back to protect their village directly past us. There's no way you can get an army of even a hundred through the Lamakan." I retorted. "If we leave them where they are, wasting their time at the Vale, we can take a boat down to Tolbi from Imil."

"That sounds like a huge maybe." Jenna muttered. "What's the alternative."

"... We have to come back around the continent." I admitted. "Which means we need the road to not be locked down. What do you think will happen if we attack Xian?"

"... We'll be lucky if the road doesn't completely shut down." Isaac muttered. "Damn it."

"What happened at the Vale is done. We can't change it." I muttered.

"You don't believe that, do you?"

"... No. I have centuries to ponder exactly how to ruin their nation." I growled spitefully. Many ideas had crossed my mind. Many more would no doubt do so. "I'm not rushing to do so. If I thought we had the time to do it, then we'd have already done it. I just…"

"That's our home your just leaving unavenged."

"You think I don't know that?" I snarled. Jenna shrunk just a little at my glare. "I don't get to say the Vale is more important then the world. There's a giant cliff about to send the Mars Lighthouse tumbling over the side and our best guess is that we have about a year to do something about it. I hate every moment of it, but we're on a time limit here."

"Yet we've spent two weeks here doing nothing." Jenna grumbled.

"We need a Jupiter Adept to get into Jupiter. Or have you forgotten?"

"I…" She trailed off, taking a deep breath, before nodding. "No, I haven't forgotten. I just think your priorities are messed up."

Maybe my priorities were messed up. No matter how I tried, I couldn't sleep that night. It was like denying my desire for vengeance had stripped a very real part of my humanity away.

"Unfortunately, that is just what it is. If you deny what it means to be human, then it will slowly fade away entirely. We aren't in the same world as them anymore. If we don't need it, it's going to disappear."

Mold's words were not helping, either.

"Ye art troubled, m'lord." It occurred to me that while I didn't need to sleep, Won-Qu clearly was not so lucky. The Kirin hadn't stirred once more until the sun was starting to rise over the horizon. Sleep hadn't come, so I'd simply made my way to the peak of the temple.

"Should I be dropping everything to kill the Xian?" I asked.

"Ye art attributing to them such that ye wouldst humans. Ye shouldn't." Won-Qu noted, settling beside me. "Tis hath not changed much by mine reckoning. They art not human in such terms."

"Beastmen are still people."

"Doth such trouble thee? They art descended of demons and servants of yonder Goddess. Tis difficult te equate such with humans."

"... Jenna and I are likely to fight soon. If we aren't already." I admitted. This, I hadn't missed. When she was mad, it tended to stew. That much I remembered. Yet…

"Over thy decision not te wipe out thy enemies? We must admit, tis puzzling te us too." Won-Qu admitted. "Ye shouldst be rendering them impotent and broken. Tis the strategy M'Lord employed during yon Unification War."

"And where did that get him? A half forged empire and the enmity of twenty generations." I retorted. "The stories are pretty clear on how the Fou Empire ended up." Won-Qu's tongue lolled out. It took a moment to realise he was laughing.

"Tis that what ye believe?" He asked. "We can set yon misconceptions te rest. M'Lord didst not earn such ire. Tis a rewriting of history. M'Lord doth enjoy much anonymity whenst he woke. Tis not till he doth make thy decision te destroy what he wrought that M'Lord becometh so reviled."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"We shalst speak plain then. [rubytext]Fou Luneun jegug-eul pagoehagilo gyeoljeonghaessseubnida.[rt]Fou Lu chose to destroy the empire.[/rt][/rubytext]" Won-Qu's words made entirely too much sense, as if the meaning appeared directly in my mind. It almost made me dizzy.
Oh for crying out loud. Is that what you two are fighting over!?
"... Over Momo, right?" I could vaguely recall the girl's face. It was someone I hadn't really given much thought to. A lot like Nina, actually. I knew of them, but the faded memories of another life hadn't seemed all that important.

"Verily." Won-Qu nodded. We lapsed into something resembling a comfortable silence.
I'll talk to her.
"Did Fou Lu ever struggle with magic?" I asked. Won-Qu did not answer for a long moment. When I glanced at the kirin's face, it showed nothing but suffering.

"M'Lord was… how doth we describe in diplomatic terms…" Won-Qu muttered. "We believe he doth resemble the remark of 'bull in a china shop' quite aptly. M'Lord didst not usually employ magic. When he didst, M'Lord tended te render an area the size of thy atrium not unlike craters in the ground."

My eyes widened at that. Was Ershin mistaken?

"Ershin thought he was talented."

"Ye shouldst not mistake talent for skill. Especially given who ye art courting." I blinked. The idea of my previous self being so similar to Sheba was almost funny.
Don't hurt yourself laughing, buster.
"It's… a bit funny." I admitted. The sun had risen. "We should go."

"Aye. Ye compatriots hath started to awaken." Won-Qu noted. "They doth require sustenance first, though."

"Did Fou Lu eat? What about Ryu?"

"No andst no." Won-Qu answered in rapid fire. "M'Lord did not even pretend, andst Ryu, as we understand, stopped eating about whenst the Kaiser first awoke."

"I see… And you? You sleep. Aren't you one of… us?" Using that word felt wrong. Won-Qu laughed once more.

"We art like unto an Unmoving One. We art not quite so fortunate as te be completely immortal." Won-Qu answered. "We art sustained with power M'Lord left behind. One day, it willst run out."

"And then?"

"We doth not know." That must have been a terrifying prospect.

We met the others at the temple gate. It was almost nostalgic to see Sheba no longer in that temple robe. It was certainly strange to see it. Ivan had joined the others at some point, garbed in what looked like a heavy travelers cloak over his tunic.

"You're dressed for hard weather." I noted. Ivan just glared at me.

"Not all of us can turn into a twenty foot lizard. It's cold up north. Bilibin will be snowing soon, if it isn't already." He shot back. "We sticking to the plan?"

"We are. Kolima, then Bilibin." I answered. Saturos raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing. Alex, on the other hand, pursed his lips.

"That takes us through the Kolima checkpoint." He noted.

"Exactly."

"Exactly?" I took distinct pleasure in his face resembling a owl caught in the torchlight. "How is that-"

"Felix intends to try and make contact with the knights on the way." Sheba spoke up. I rolled my eyes. She took up residence again in my head entirely too fast. "Hopefully we don't spend too long up north."

"You aren't looking forward to it?" I knew she wasn't, but I couldn't resist teasing her, my hand ruffling her hair. Sheba rolled her eyes.

"Not all of us share your fascination with snow." She shot back. "It's just suckier sand."

"You take that back."

"Never." I felt a small smile break regardless. It was nice for her to actually be back. "Alright, no one left anything we need behind?"

"Just my dignity." Ivan admitted. Given the bruises I could see, I didn't doubt that. After all, I'd stolen that dignity a week ago. "Oh, Master Hama."

"Relax, Ivan." I blinked as Sheba and Ivan both bowed. They were probably talking in their minds. Hama looked a little tired. "We won't forget what you have done."

"Don't think anything of it." I waved it off. Isaac just laughed.

"It isn't something we haven't done before. Don't worry about it."

"But I do. It was unreasonable to ask you to do, yet you did it anyway." Hama paused, before raising a finger. "I have two gifts for you. Unfortunately, both are merely words. The first is that the item you seek is held within the White Vault. It can be unsealed using water psynergy, if you are not inclined to retrieve it through legitimate means. The second is… prophecy." She paused, pondering for a moment. "Words are hard when it comes to prophecy, but this time there is no ambiguity. Felix, if you go to Mercury, you will die."

"Then I die." Such did not scare me. Sheba's face turned from white to angry in an instant, yet I just waved her attention away.

Felix, people do not just wave off dying!

"It is one thing to face death with courage. It is quite another to-" Hama started, but Jenna just waved her off.

"No. We know already. Thank you for putting a time to it." She declared. "It's nerve wracking not knowing."

"... I'm sorry. Do you regard this as good news?"

"Best news I've heard in a week, actually." Jenna shot back. Looking at her face, she seemed almost relieved.

"Jenna?"

"Later, Isaac." Jenna's lips twisted into a small smile. "Thank you for your hospitality."

"Thank you for your assistance. I hope that my words, however small, were of assistance."

"So how do I die?"

"FELIX!?" Sheba's squawk was most amusing to me.

"What, I actually get to know how it happens. Come on, give me the details!"

"Yeah, give us the details!" Jenna's voice joined mine. Hama just groaned.

"You two definitely are siblings. I believe your leader left without you." I blinked. Saturos and Alex had both already started walking. I weighed it up for a long moment. Then I turned back to Hama.

"I can fly. I'll catch up. Give me the details!"

-​

The path to Kolima was quite worn and used. It was a welcome change from the desert. Sheba stayed almost in step with me the entire way. We didn't need to say anything. There wasn't a need.

So how do you separate out the ink then?

I grinned, as I imagined gutting a squid. Sheba's face twisted just a bit, as she pondered.

I wonder if that'd make a better black base then…

"You two are weird doing that." Saturos noted. "It's almost unnerving."

"Would you rather I chatter incessantly?" Sheba asked. Saturos nodded.

"It'd at least remind me that you speak." He admitted. Sheba's lips threatened to split into a grin.

"Well, sucks to be you. How many days to Kolima?"

"Three more." Ivan answered. "One of those will be spent at the checkpoint, though."

"So really just two." Sheba hummed. "Right. Well, it could be worse I suppose."

"It could be." He agreed. "I presume none of you have coin?"

"Not a lot." Saturos admitted. "Why?"

"The checkpoint has a tax on it." Ivan noted.

"And you didn't tell us before why?"

"Because three gold a head is nothing to me." He answered. "You, on the other hand, might find it a bit difficult to deal with."

"It is pricey." Saturos' face blanched at that. I raised an eyebrow.

"And you'd just pay it?"

"I might. I'll think about it."

"He will. Hama made him promise to." Sheba quipped. Ivan just groaned.

"Now I know how the rest of you feel." He grumbled. "How are you that… Nevermind."

"He thinks I'm annoying." Sheba noted.

"Did you work out how not to break his mind while mind reading him?"

"Something like that. Ivan's good at what he does." Sheba admitted. "His mind is like a fortress. His heart on the other hand…"

"Heart?"

"Emotions. I can work out a lot just by seeing how he reacts." Sheba answered. "Hama called it heart reading, but I don't see how it's different to reading someone's mind."

"Because you're an Anemos?"

Probably.

Sheba just hummed, hands folding behind her back. She was hiding something. It was becoming more and more obvious.

The days started to blend together. The group was becoming more spirited. The only issue that remained, really, was my arm. It made me fear when the other foot would drop.

It was our final night before the checkpoint that Sheba finally voiced what she had been bursting to ask.

"Felix, can I borrow some money?"

"Sorry?"

"I want to buy something. I don't have any money." I stared for a very long moment.

"You want to buy something."

"Yes. You aren't stupid."

At least you better not be, dragon boy.

"What is that something?"

"Something." She obviously wasn't going to say. I contemplated filching her Jupiter gene to find out, but the way her eyes morphed into a glare told me it wouldn't be a great idea.

"Fine, keep your secret."

"So, can I have some money?"

[X] Yes.
[ ] No.

Tomorrow, you…
[X] Arrive at the checkpoint. It's unusually busy, but exactly the kind of busy you wanted.
[ ] Arrive at a blasted ruin. Smog had been here. You could feel it.
[ ] Arrive at the checkpoint. More importantly, there are familiar faces.

Note: This chapter marks the biggest deviation that isn't a correction. As Sheba's mental talk was already pointed out over in the other thread, it's been rendered as coloured text here, in contrast to its original invisible text.