Audrey was confused by how confidently Avery uttered his statement, in a way that betrayed a great understanding and familiarity with the elusive Lord of Mysteries.
“How do you know? And why are you so scared of him? Mister spirit, who are you, really?”
“You really are letting your imagination run wild. I told you, I am just the spiritual remnant of a cultivator who no longer exists in this world. Don’t worry about my past, it won't bring you any troubles.”
Her curiosity unsatisfied, Audrey clicked her beak in exasperation.
“What, that’s all? Normally you can’t stop explaining the boring stuff, but now that we are discussing something actually interesting, you finally become quiet?”
This was one of the rare times that she felt foreign emotions spilling through their telepathic communication, making it abundantly clear that Avery was every bit as exasperated as she was.
“Here I am, offering you the mysteries of the universe, letting you peek at the very foundation of the world. And what do you do, when faced with an opportunity that would make gods jealous? You waste your time gossiping and asking about trivial details.”
She had previously dismissed his delusions of grandeur, as he regularly mentioned things that were beyond even her Great Ancestor, but she wasn’t so sure he was exaggerating anymore. Perhaps, if he was really acquainted with the Lord of Mysteries, there might be some truth in his boasts. Still, there was no way she would admit that.
“Who cares about your mysteries? Stop trying to scam me, you hardly know anything practical. Why should I waste my time learning what air is made of, or what in the world buoyancy is? Just telling me to flap my wings up and down would be more helpful than all your useless secrets.”
Another round of bickering ensued, completely ruining the nascent image of Mister Spirit being an existence with a status comparable to the most ancient rulers of the world.
----------------------------------------
“Miss, are you okay? You've been talking to yourself a lot…”
Letting out a small cry of surprise, Audrey spun around to see a stag-like creature looking at her with concern.
She was immediately drawn to its short, elegant antlers - perfect perch material - its beautiful, snowy white coat and icy blue eyes. Accompanying its graceful appearance, Audrey could sense a holy aura emanating from the creature, making it hard for her to concentrate. Raising her vigilance to the maximum, she tried hard to remember how lone travelers asked for admittance in a foreign city.
“Hello! I’m Audrey, here to receive the local baptism.”
While it would have been polite to bow, she simply waved her wing in courteous salutation, wondering if she had an aura of her own, and what concept it would project.
“Baptism? You want to settle down here?”
There was a confusing amount of hostility in that question, at odds with its previous tone. Was baptism a big deal? Well, she had never been baptized when traveling with the caravan. Nor do anything really, but then again she had never felt the oppression of these terrible auras before.
“Uh... I don’t know... No? I just want to find my friends...”
Flustered by her lack of knowledge and annoyed at herself for showing such an undignified side of herself, she took a deep breath and straightened her folded wings proudly.
“Sorry. I am lost. This is my first time traveling alone. I’m not sure how things are done here, but I need to find my companions, and I can’t do that with those… presence making it hard to stay awake.”
The creature nodded her understanding, no longer looking as if he was about to attack her.
“Then you want a city token, not a baptism. I can give you one, the procedure is rather simple.”
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Inviting her to follow him with a shake of his head, he led her away from the central altar, towards a side room.
“I have money! Uh, no, I don’t… but I give great hugs! You want one?”
Rambling to hide her nervousness, taking uncharacteristically long strides to try and keep up with her guide, Audrey fought to maintain a half dignified facade as she made a mental inventory of what valuables she had to offer. It came out empty.
“Charming, but no. I just need information, and to make sure you are trustworthy. So trying to bribe me wasn’t very smart.”
The majestic elk's tone was dry, completely unimpressed by her shenanigans, making her feel like a fool. Eager to leave that awkward moment behind but not knowing how to prove her good intentions, Audrey just started chatting.
“Don’t worry, I’m very trustworthy!” - she patted her chest proudly with her wing - “I’m Audrey Thunderbird, by the way. I was born in the Exona woods, but…”
“Do you have any proof?”
Audrey was starting to get accustomed to the stag’s intense mannerism, shrugging as she followed him through a side door and an interior chamber with a large fountain, carved from marble.
“I told you, I got lost. Taking out my StormFeather, money and whatever else you could want from me will have to wait for me to find my caravan. Which will have to wait for me to be able to walk around your city, which will have to wait until I have a city token.”
“I see.” Her host interjected caustically, placing a hoof in a shallow basin connected to the fountain, causing the central runic statue to light up.
“So you got lost while traveling with a caravan? What was the original purpose of your journey?”
She meant to answer honestly, only leaving out her adventures with Mister Spirit, and her subsequent cultivation, but the answer was not as simple as it seemed.
"I am on my way to the Great Healing Temple to… to… heal my wing?"
Glancing disbelievingly at her at her perfectly healthy wing, Audrey suddenly considered her future. Why was she still traveling when the problem was already fixed? What was she planning to do, exactly? She couldn't just come home after running away, could she?
Perhaps Mister Spirit would have an idea? Did he have somewhere to go, and should she accompany him? She did owe him, after all. So many questions… She already felt a headache coming.
"Anyways, my wing is healed, and that’s great! Now I am just here to get my stuff back, I don’t really know what I’ll do next.”
The stag nodded slowly as Audrey described her predicament, red symbols appearing in the water around his front foot.
“You had an injury so bad you had needed to visit the Great Healing Temple in person, but it was unexpectedly fixed in advance? How did that happen, exactly?”
“I learned cultivation! There was something about blood Qi and “First transformation”, and I think it was very painful, but then my wing was healed”
More and more letters were appearing in the fountain pool, and Audrey hopped slightly, attempting to get a better viewing angle to read them. However, before she could make any of them out, a ray of light shot from the writer's antler, temporarily blinding her.
“No peeking."
The stag paused, waiting for her to recover her sight.
"You must be quite skilled, to have achieved First Transformation while suffering a crippling injury. I suppose you are lucky Thunderbirds focus on their legs rather than their wings."
He nodded at her, his expression unchanged, she restrained her curiosity as to what he was writing.
“Yes! Well no, my totem isn't the Thunderbird, it's..."
Before she could finish her sentence, she froze, the blood Qi in her body mobilizing to prevent her speech as a familiar voice rang in her mind.
"It would be prudent to avoid mentioning the Azure Dragon, that name is of... particular significance."
Avery's heart thundered in her chest, and she stumbled slightly as she regained control over her body, forcing herself to appear as natural as possible under the puzzled gaze of her guide.
“Sorry, I was warned not to talk about my totem. The important thing is, it gave me very strong legs, and it healed my wing! I can fly now!"
He took a long look into the eyes, causing her to break out in goosebumps. His gaze was piercing and powerful, making her want to avert her eyes.
“How did you get a new totem suited for you? Who warned you not to mention it?"
"I can't tell you that either. Will that be a problem?"
He shook his head slowly, as if trying to figure out what the right answer should be.
"It won't, don't worry about it. The only thing I really need is your name, species and cultivation level, the rest is just me being curious."
Saying this, the stag stepped back from the pool. The Great Rune statue flashed, and all that was written in the water disappeared, replaced by a small round token bearing the image of three pillars and a golden sun.
"Keep this with you at all times, it will protect you. It will last seven days, after which you need to renew it."
Raising a leg to grasp the token in her claws, she breathed a sigh of relief at being accepted into the city. Then question marked appeared in her head, as she look back at the stag, looking lost.
“So what do I do now?”