8

“Look at Zekiel hog all the attention again,” Vanessa grumbled, crossing her arms.

The man in question shot her a knowing grin. “Jealous?”

“You two, behave yourselves,” Dom warned, eyeing them both. They deflated and returned to checking their supplies. Zekiel remained vigilant, while Vanessa looked almost unconcerned by anything and everything. Dom turned to Vander’s dad. “Those two are still hot-tempered youngins. Your boy is quite tame in comparison.”

“Don’t let him fool you,” Vander’s dad said with a knowing grin. They both looked over towards him. Vander stared back at the curious brute but kept his mouth closed. He rubbed the back of his neck then turned to Dom. “Do you think we could step away? I’ve got a favor to ask of you.”

Dom considered the request for a brief moment before nodding. The two of them walked back down the path they’d come from and stopped far enough down the road that Vander couldn’t hear what they discussed, but he didn’t miss the surprised expression Dom gave and the short glance towards Vander.

Wonder what that’s all about.

“Hey, Vander,” Vanessa’s voice called out.

Vander turned back and looked closer at the small information tab beside her head.

Name: Vanessa

Class Tier: Higher

Skill Level: Lower

Equipment Rating: Higher

Other: Higher

Overall, she seemed to be stronger than him across the board. He approached and sat on the ground next to her. “What’s up?”

Zekiel shifted from where he sat across the path to continue his vigilance while involving himself in the conversation. Vander noticed the man’s interest and smirked. There was something he liked about the young adventurer.

He kind of reminds me of myself when I was new to Delving. He expanded the information tab beside his head out of curiosity.

Name: Zekiel Tamaranth

Class Tier: Higher

Skill Level: Higher

Equipment Rating: Higher

Other: Higher

His skill levels are higher? That’s impressive. Vanessa ranks higher by the guild standards than him? he mused.

Vanessa poked him in the side with a bolt, eliciting a groan as he rubbed his side. “Who do you think you’re talking to right now?”

“Got a little distracted,” he said, turning towards her. “You have my undivided attention now.”

“Make sure it stays that way,” she said, playing with the bolt with a dangerous glint in her eyes. “How long have you lived on Ainos? We’ve been wanting to know since we heard from the interim adventurer liaison back in Enari.”

“My whole life,” he admitted, shrugging as her skeptical eyes looked him up and down. He pointed towards his eyes. “Not sure if you know what this means, but I was born in Maldus. They tried to kill me, but my dad saved my life and escaped with the first bunch of settlers back when the continent was first discovered.”

“Oh, wow,” she muttered.

“Seems we’ve encountered someone infamous,” Zekiel said, grinning. “You’re not too much younger than I am, but you’re known all across Varoth. ‘The one that got away’, they call you.”

“Mhmm, that’s true. I bet Fallon is having a field day. He loves to oppose The Scholar whenever he has a chance,” Vanessa said, pointing the bolt towards the priest that sat next to Anna down the path. “He won’t say it, but he adores you and your dad. I have a pet theory that you’re one of the reasons he left Varoth, but don’t tell him I said anything.”

Vander shook his head. “No way. I’m not that special. I don’t even know why The Mad God wants me dead,” he lied. Inheriting Artemis’ body was reason enough. “All I’ve ever known is The Snarl and Enari.”

“What about Trushal or Avalia?” Vanessa asked, pointing towards the general direction of the other two cities with the bolt. “From what I’ve heard, those places seem far more interesting than Enari. More money, better development and people.”

“Avalia was settled by the most noble scions of the kings and emperors of Maldus and Varoth, so they’re the elitist type.” Vander pointed towards his clothes. “Last I checked, I look anything but noble, so we don’t get invited to go to either place often. I’ve been to Avalia twice in my entire life.”

Vanessa proficiently twirled the bolt in between her fingers. “The savage look gives you an intriguing charm, I think.” She winked, chuckling softly to herself. “But if you really wanted to get into Avalia, I’m sure a little bit of a woman’s touch would go a long way towards cleaning up your appearance.”

Stolen novel; please report.

He stared back at her blankly as Zekiel made a disgusted gagging sound. She sent him a sharp look before reaching out to brush her fingers against his face.

“If you’ve lived out here, I doubt there’s a trace of fat on your bones. Your face is refined, regal, and you’ve got those pure blue eyes. Fascinating, almost exotic.” She ran a finger across his cheekbone then shot a look down the path towards where Dom and his dad were talking. “Another pet theory, your dad is a descendant of nobility. You don’t look like this without a little bit of higher blood coursing through your veins.”

Moving his face out of reach of her hands, he shrugged. “All I know about anything in this world is related to either The Snarl or Enari. Where I’m from, why the Zealots are after me, and who my dad was before aren’t things I’ve ever had the luxury of considering.” He gestured down the path past where the twins sat. “A moment is all it takes to lose your life in there. Everything, even in the outer layer, wants to kill you. There is no time to ponder such useless thoughts.”

She huffed a heavy sigh. “Useless, huh? I don’t think those things are as useless as you’d think. The Scholar has a lot of enemies, and if you were to return to Varoth, I’m sure you’d become someone quite valuable out of pure virtue of being something a god covets.”

“Drop it, Ness,” Zekiel said, glaring at her with his hand resting on his sword’s pommel.

As much as Vander wanted to see who would win in a fight between the two of them, he also didn’t. “It’s not that big of a deal. I will admit that I have no plans of ever leaving Ainos. People come here for opportunity, so it’s a good place to get familiar with. Pops always says that my ability to navigate through the great forest will be invaluable to those who come to pioneer the lands.”

“Like us,” Vanessa said, nodding.

“But…” Zekiel looked like he wanted to say more but closed his eyes instead. He sat up and faced Vander, shuddering as if cold. When he opened his eyes again, he rubbed his temples. “You can’t lie to me and be satisfied with being a guide your entire life.”

“Wow, who’s coming on strong now?” Vanessa chuckled and rolled her eyes. “What are you talking about now?”

However, Vander’s blood ran cold. The knowing look in Zekiel’s eyes locked him in place. He’d somehow seen something about Vander. Of that, Vander was certain just from how the man looked at him in awe, despite supposedly being stronger.

Zekiel winked. “Not for me to say.”

Vanessa looked between the two of them, completely lost. “Someone fill me in. I don’t like being left in the dark.”

“It’s… nothing,” Vander muttered, though he was sure she wouldn’t be convinced. He didn’t sound convincing to himself. A sharp poke to his ribs caused him to groan and glower at Vanessa. “Can you not?”

“I should be the one asking you that,” she said, huffing a frustrated breath. After shooting a glare towards Zekiel, she entirely shifted her body towards Vander. “I’ll ignore the secret exchange for now, but I’ll unpack everything there is to know about you. That’s a promise.”

“How reassuring,” he deadpanned and stood, no longer wanting to be near either Zekiel or Vanessa.

The man had unsettled him, and she was a bit too pushy for his taste. However, he found himself touching his face, a curiosity he’d forgotten reigniting in his gut. When he looked towards his dad and Dom, they seemed to be finishing up their conversation, so he made his way towards them.

Vander stood in front of his dad with his arms crossed, barring his path forward. Dom seemed to get the silent hint and passed by without saying a word.

“We need to talk,” they both said at the same time.

“But not now,” his dad continued. “When we make it back to The Snarl, I’ll explain things. For now, let’s just get back to camp.”

“Fine,” Vander muttered, the reassurance of a conversation warring with what his new world dad might have to say. As Vanessa said, pet theories were one of Vander’s specialties. He’d had a lot of time to ponder the mysteries of a thing or two. “I’ll hold you to it.”

“Of course you will, son.” His dad rested his hands on both Vander’s shoulders and pulled him in for a spontaneous hug. “I know there are a lot of things you don’t know and are curious about, but I think you’re ready to know. I wish we had more time…”

“What do you mean?” Vander asked, shrugging out of his old man’s hold. “Why does that sound like goodbye?”

His dad shook his head. “It’s not. We’ll talk more later. Let’s get some rest for now.”

Vander was left there with an uneasy feeling in his stomach. One way or another, a storm was coming. And with it, change.

***

The break lasted longer than Vander anticipated. For the first time in living memory, he felt both excited and anxious as they matched Fallon’s slow, meandering pace towards The Snarl. The priest had the lowest physical attributes of them all and dictated their travel speeds, nearly doubling the time it normally took to cross the grasslands from Enari back to the great forest Vander called home.

But they eventually arrived at the two-man camp just in time for the sun to set and douse the place in a deep darkness. They skipped setting a fire, despite the chilly air.

His dad took out bundles of furs for everyone to soften their rest on the ground and hopefully stave off the cold of night. One thing Vander had considered since they picked up the adventurer group was how long they’d have to escort them.

The camp wasn’t fit for seven people, however, nobody was shy about personal space. Vanessa had even stripped completely, impressing nobody, in the middle of the camp. Not to his surprise, she also chose to be as near to Vander as she could be.

Which meant, given the space available, he could feel the warmth radiating off her body through her strangely silky, thin night dress. So she was close. A little too close for comfort. Luckily for Vander, she also seemed to have been worn down by the travel, so she slept soundly and left him to his thoughts.

If he closed his eyes, he could even convince himself that Madison laid next to him.

A hand rested on his shoulder. “Son, let’s talk.”