No way am I fucking dying again.

As the spike shot out at him at an alarming speed, Erend threw himself on the ground, barely dodging it.

“Stop this! Why are you attacking me from the get-go?!” he shouted.

The woman looked perplexed at his question, “Nai elenillor quettaron. Ma quel?”

“I’m sorry. I don’t understand you,” Erend whispered. He reached his hands out to his sides, trying to look as unintimidating as possible.

He stood like that and thought for a moment, then brought a hand to his chest, rubbing it, “I,” he worded excessively. Then he hugged himself with a smile, “Friend,” he said throw pressed teeth.

The woman looked at him. Stones retracted from her face, revealing the crystal-clear shock plastered on it. She burst out laughing, “Mani yé? Nendi? Ná, aranya-orta umë sa yé.”

She reached a hand toward him, the palm of it turned toward the sky. She shut her hand and pulled it closer to her body in a fluid motion.

Without any warning, rocks and dirt climbed up Erend’s feet, before solidifying and locking his position. Abruptly he was pulled toward the woman, still shackled to the ground.

“Shit!” Erend screamed at the sudden momentum, struggling to remain upright.

He came to a stop just inches in front of the woman’s face.

”Nai, quete-meni, cuilë caure, man i coa?” she asked and grabbed his chin, turning his head, up and down, side to side, as if to regard him.

“Listen, lady, I’m sorry. I still don’t understand you,” Erend sighed. He tried to pry himself loose of the earthen shackles but understood almost right away that it was pointless.

In front of this woman, he was powerless.

He met her eyes; they glittered like pale rubies. He’d heard about the natural beauty of elves, yet this was the first time he’d ever come face to face with it. Some regarded Erend as naturally handsome, but this woman, was on another level altogether.

She let go of his chin and turned her back to him to inspect the field they were in.

“Nai elyë caurelyë, úva nínë engwë henna, manen i caurelyë minya vehtëa?”

Erend let out an exasperated sigh, it caught her attention. She threw him a glance and released the shackles on him.

The field really was quite beautiful. Since he wouldn’t be able to learn her language in just one meeting, he decided to sit out his time in the dream. So that’s what he did, he sat down.

Might as well use this dream for something useful.

He decided to practice the spell impression that he’d received from Elísitrá, pocket.

He closed his eyes and tried to remember how to make the source within him thrum in just the right frequency again. It took a few minutes, but then he got the hang of it. When he felt the source respond, it didn’t take long for the space to ripple out in front of him. He opened his eyes.

“Hoo,” that, he understood.

The woman stood wide-eyed, inspecting the ripple. She reached out to poke it with a finger. When she made contact with the sludge-like substance, she hurriedly retracted her finger to inspect it.

“Haldaron,” she exclaimed and licked her finger.

As if in a sudden understanding she plopped down in front of him. She closed her eyes, sitting cross-legged.

He canceled his spell, wondering what she was up to. Sneakily she snuck a peek at him and snickered, “Nendi.”

The woman reached out with her hand and forced his eyes shut; she took his hands in hers.

“Wha-”

“Súmë!”

Erend sighed and submitted to her will. That’s when he felt it.

She was channeling source into him – and from him.

He focused on the circulating source. He could feel it more clearly than ever before when he channeled together with the grey woman, it felt as if she amplified his connection to the source. He decided to try to cast pocket, and to his surprise, it took less than a moment for the spell to come alive with its rhythmic thrumming, vibrant with source.

“Aíná,” the woman whispered and patted him on his shoulder.

He opened his eyes to look at his handiwork – their handiwork. The ripple he’d made with her was larger than any he’d ever made himself. It was large enough for him to step into it without crouching.

“Ho!” the woman said aggressively and twitched with her hands. When she got his attention again, she closed her eyes while making sure he did the same.

Once again, he focused on the channeling. This time around they didn’t circulate it together, she forced him into a rhythm. She was strong. He could feel it more clearly now that she wasn’t trying to accommodate for him. If she wanted to, she could kill him here and now, she could just drown him in the source if she wanted to. But she didn’t. She forced something else entirely on him.

She stopped the channeling abruptly and pressed a finger on his forehead, “I tiëa nauva nálë.”

The world went dark.

“It’s time to get up. The last watch is up,” Anya said and shook him lightly.

“Alright, just give me a second. I just have to find a shirt,” Erend responded groggily, still clearly feeling the crushing amount of source that the grey woman had forced into him. Maybe the visions were more real than dreams?

“You know where to find me.”

Erend rummaged around in the luggage that his father had packed in haste. Fortunately, he’d been kind enough to pack some clothes for Erend too, otherwise, he would be doomed to spend the subsequent days of travel in his ruined pants and a sweaty, blood-soaked shirt.

“Sorry about the wait.”

“No worries,” Jack answered. “I’ll leave you two to it then.”

“Get a few more hours of sleep in if you can. I want us to try our best to reach the fort today,” Anya ordered, softly.

“You got it, boss.”

Erend sat down on a log next to Anya. Betwixt them a fire crackled. It was still dark out, and quiet. Anya shuffled some of the burning wood around with a stick. The night air was warmer than usual -- the canyon seemed to hold on to the heat for longer than the town. The fire was more for light than warmth, yet Erend couldn’t help but warm his hands over it.

Anya cleared her throat and threw Erend a few glances, “So... Do you have any plans for what to do now that you’ve awakened?”

Does she not like silence?

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“I think I’ve settled on becoming a warrior.”

“Because of what’s happened?”

“No, I think I managed to reach that conclusion yesterday evening.”

“Good for you. Rash decisions influenced by poor circumstances tend to not be beneficial in the long run.”

“Do you speak from experience?”

“Observation. I’m a guard, I’ve seen lots of crime in my years of service. I’d say crimes are mostly caused by people coming from poor circumstances.”

“Oh, makes sense. It’s not like the Duke or other nobles go around stealing.”

“Of course they don’t. They use the law to take what they want.”

Erend was flabbergasted by the captain’s brazen attitude, after closing his mouth that hung agape, he threw a few glances around himself to make sure no one was standing nearby, listening in on their conversation. “Are you sure you should be speaking like that? What if someone heard you?”

“Yeah, what then?” Anya asked while staring off into the distance. “I’m a captain of the guards, Erend. A captain in a town that was successfully infiltrated, sabotaged, and then attacked. I’m pretty sure my career is over, whatever I do.”

“Right... Sorry.”

Anya flashed an understanding smile at him, “It’s alright. Things happen... So! A warrior then? You know you’re never going to make it in that line of profession if you keep losing your weapons, right?”

Not ready for the jab, Erend let out a laugh, “Hah, I suppose you’re right about that. I’ll make sure to keep that in mind next time I get cut.”

“You’d do best to remember it. Do you want to join the military at the fort?”

“I don’t think so. They’ll be outnumbered and starving in a few days. I’d much rather live a while longer.”

“Clever kid. Me and the other guards were speaking of traveling to the southern continent. You’re welcome to join, we’ll need all the extra help we can get.”

“I can’t leave Dad and Elle.”

“They could come too,” she quickly countered. She seemed oddly intent on bringing him along.

“I’ll have to ask Dad then.”

“Make sure to. A smith would be more than a welcome addition.”

So that’s why she wants me to come along.

A rustle resounded from a wind shelter behind them. They both turned in time to see Cordelia approach them.

“Can’t sleep?” Erend asked.

“No... The ground is hard, and it keeps feeling like something is crawling on me.”

“That’s because something probably is,” Anya interjected.

Cordelia seemed disgusted by the notion but quickly put it out of her mind.

“What were you talking about?”

“About leaving Exodus.”

“Oh, are you coming too, Erend?” Cordelia asked.

“You’re going?” Erend questioned with surprise.

Well, that came out of nowhere.

“I think so. I figure that if Mom and Dad are okay, the fort won’t be the best place for them, not if the military is preparing to strike back. And if they aren’t okay ... well then there’s not any reason for me to be there.”

“You’ve given it some thought, huh?”

“Yeah, I had a lot of time to think on the way here, unlike you and Charles.”

“She also told me that you’ve said you can cast.”

I did?

“He did! Back in Exodus, he said that he had a spell impression he could use for travel.”

Oh, right.

“Yeah, that was badly worded. It’s not used to travel, more like useful when traveling.”

“So you have one? I thought she’d misunderstood you.”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“Spell impressions are incredibly rare, Erend,” Anya said with a deadpan expression.

Cordelia nodded along with her arms crossed, “My father spent years trying to find me one without any success.”

I really didn’t think this through.

“How’d you come across an impression? Is blacksmithing unusually lucrative on this plane?”

Sorry mom.

Erend shrugged, and lied, “My mother used to adventure across the planes. She left me with one. I never really knew what it meant.”

“Aren’t you a lucky one,” Anya said with a whistle.

“I guess so. But it’s quite tricky to activate, so I’m not sure how useful it will be in the short term.”

Anya held up a hand, “Hold up. You can use it? You just awakened earlier today, did you not?”

Why do I do this to myself?

“... Yes. Is that unusual?”

Cordelia looked at him with her mouth agape, “Yes. That pretty much makes you a sorcerer.”

Erend scoffed, “I’m no sorcerer. I was just lucky.”

“Can you show us?” Anya asked, leaning in closer. It was obvious that she enjoyed the whole exchange.

Nothing to gain by going back on my words.

“Sure, but I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell everyone.”

“I promise!” they said in choir.

Erend closed his eyes and let his source float about freely, he concentrated. Then he remembered his dream – his vision – of the grey woman. What was it she had done to him? She’d left something inside of him. He focused on the memory of the woman and tried to replicate the violent surge of source that she’d rammed into him. Through the soles of his feet, he could feel the earth, and the source permeating it. Something compelled him to stomp down, and so he did.

His stomp sent out a wave of vibrations through the ground.

“Is that it?” Cordelia asked, obviously disappointed.

“Uhm. Let me try again,” Erend said and stood up.

The movement of source that the woman had imprinted on him was much easier to replicate than the vibrations needed for pocket.

Once again he let source float freely, and then he gathered it, this time around the soles of his feet.

He stomped down, standing in the horse stance, just like the woman had.

The earth a pace ahead of him split and spit out a rock the size of his fist. He struck out with a punch toward it and watched it barrel off into the distance with a whistle.

“Woah! Not bad kid!” Anya exclaimed.

“That’s definitely not the casting of a wizard. You utilize no glyphs.”

“Glyphs? What do you mean?”

“The fact that you don’t even know makes it even more irritating. Look,” Cordelia said and aimed her palm at a tree.

A circle of solidified source manifested in her open hand, its rims decorated by glyphs and runes. Before firing off her spell, she canceled it. “You saw the source circle, right?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s generally how wizards cast. They study the internal movement of source and learn to form glyphs with it, that’s how they bridge the gap between scholar and caster, the glyphs are what makes them able to cast. Now tell me, did you use glyphs when casting just now?”

“... No.”

“That’s right. You’re a damn sorcerer. You cast on instinct,” Cordelia explained with a pout.

“Your adventuring days are suddenly looking a lot brighter, even if you drop your weapon. Congrats,” Anya said from the side. “But don’t get overconfident. I’ve seen multiple casters get beaten to a pulp by warriors. A caster isn’t that scary if you close the distance before they have the chance to cast you see.”

The chirping of birds started to echo in the dead forest, alerting them that dawn was upon them.

“Sounds like the sun is rising. Let’s wake everyone up, time to move,” Anya ordered.

“But it’s still so dark out,” Cordelia complained.

Anya shrugged, “The sun won’t reach the forest for another couple of hours, courtesy of the mountain range.”

The three split up, and Erend went back to the shelter his father had constructed. He was surprised it had held the entire night, Thomas’s snoring was loud enough that it had the walls shaking in fright of the noise.

Erend shook his father lightly by the shoulders, “Guys, time to wake up. Sun is rising.”

Thomas awoke with a startle, strangling a breath mid-snore, “Oh, Erend, you startled me.”

Erend let out a laugh at the strange noise his father had let out, “Sorry. I’ve still got to wake up the rest, so I’ll leave waking Elle up to you.”

“How gracious of you.”

“Isn’t it? Good luck.”

Thomas let out a grunt and pulled his fingers through his hair, combing it back the best he could.

Erend moved along, from one shelter to the next, until he and Cordelia had managed to wake the entire camp. After a quick and frugal breakfast, the group set out once again.

The day was uneventful and passed them by quickly. Just before sunset, they caught sight of the destination of their travels, the fort.

The fort was crudely constructed with the same volcanic stone that everyone on the island used. Around its perimeter, the military had erected a wall as tall as a two-storied house, along with a moat that ran along the outer edges. All along the wall stood tall towers, giving the forces inside a good overview of their surroundings.

Outside the fort stood a large crowd. Civilians by the looks of it. The raised drawbridge hindered them from entering the protective walls.

The group of merchants hollered in joy and ran up to the gathering. Leaving the others behind.

“Something’s not right,” Johann voiced his opinion.

“Seems that way,” Anya agreed. “Let’s use the last few minutes of light to gather information. We’ll gather here, by the edge of the forest after sunset.”

“Got it,” the guards answered.

“That goes for you all as well, if you want to stick with us,” Anya said and looked at the remaining civilians.

Erend glanced at his father, who seemed intent on staying with the guards, then nodded at Anya.

Erend walked up to the gathering of people alone. A constant stream of dissatisfied murmur rang out from the crowd.

Erend located someone he recognized, “Professor Abrams!”

“Oh, Mr. Sulford. I’m glad to see that you’re alright.”

“Likewise. What’s going on here?”

“Nothing out of the ordinary, nobles spitting on their people like usual.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“The nobles have locked themselves inside, the soldiers are enforcing their folly.”

“But that’s madness! All these people are left unguarded, and even if the invaders don’t move on the fort we’ll starve!”

“That is precisely what we’ve been trying to tell them. Those damn fools.”

A shout of surprise cut through the crowd from atop the wall. Shortly thereafter a shrill voice followed, “Cordelia! My precious daughter! Hurry, let her inside!” a gaudy woman barked at the soldiers.

With the deafening rattle of chains, the drawbridge lowered. As it made contact with the ground a heap of soldiers streamed outside, making sure to not let any commoners enter the fort.

“Cordelia, my dear, this way! Where have you been? I’ve been worried sick!” the woman continued as she strutted out. She had a dignified air about her, the woman.

“Mother!” Cordelia ran into the embrace of her mother. “I’m so glad you’re alright! Where’s father?”

“He’s inside dear, now hurry on along inside.”

“I came here with some people, can’t they come too?”

“No that’s silly, dear. If we let one in, they all feel entitled to enter. They’ll have to make do outside.”

“Bu—”

The gaudy woman sharply cut her off, “Enough about that. Come now. I’m sure your father is going to feel ecstatic that you’re okay.”

Cordelia threw a desperate look into the crowds, her eyes met Erend’s, she flashed him a sympathetic smile and followed her mother into the fort.