Home isn’t where you live, it’s where people miss you when you’re gone.
Dreiki kept repeating that phrase in his head as he burned down the house he’d spent the last two years building.
They had strapped all their belongings to a cart and affixed it to Ezo to pull. Savekio had dropped off the last supply of potions the previous night while Dreiki and Luna had cleaned out the house of anything valuable to them.
As Dreiki watched it burn to the ground, he felt a deep sadness in his chest. This was the place he’d learned so many things. It was where he grew as Savekio’s student. It was the first place other than his mother’s home that he felt safe.
He could see himself playing with Ezo and Luna in the training grounds, eating together with Savekio, laughing, crying…living.
And now it was all burning to the ground thanks to his magic because they could not afford to leave a trace to be followed. Dreiki had even caved in the tunnels. Two years of hard work and memories burned down and lost forever.
Savekio squeezed the horn on his head, “Even if you can’t return to it, you’ll still have the memory to carry with you, remember that.”
Dreiki nodded. It didn’t make him feel any better, though.
Savekio pulled a sack from the cart. It was filled with a strange dust which he scattered over himself, the cart, and everyone else. Dreiki noticed as they walked there were no footprints left behind. It must have been a human invention.
“Where are we going now, Grandpa?” Dreiki asked.
“We’re going to Mt.Arukuniir. I would’ve liked an extra year to train the both of you for the journey, but we don’t always live in a perfect world. From here on out things are going to get tough. You’re both going to have to learn on the fly, and there won’t be any safe places to rest when we’re between towns. As I’m sure you both already know, The Altix is a vast untamed wilderness teeming with Malaki and Magakos alike.”
Dreiki felt an unease through his entire body, opting to breathe deeply through his nose to calm his nerves. He placed a hand on Luna’s shoulder to see how she was doing. She was a lot stronger than him, it seemed.
“There are a few places I’d like to visit before we get there, though. A little while ago, the both of you were victims of The Jackal. I’ve marked down a few places of interest on the map that we can go to and get some…practical experience. Tracking, espionage, combat, rescue, all of that comes along with bringing those trafficking operations to the ground. So now’s your last chance if you’d like to back out.”
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“The day can’t come soon enough,” Dreiki said.
Savekio nodded, “I’d expect nothing less of my disciple.”
Dreiki felt a twinge of guilt in his gut at the word ‘disciple’. Reminded once again the entire reason they were burning everything down in the first place. It was Luna’s turn to put a hand on his shoulder.
He needed that.
“During this time, the both of you are likely going to be subjected to antimagic like before, which is why today’s lesson will be enchantment magic.”
He tossed them a couple of silver coins, “I want the both of you to figure out how to impart a lasting enchantment on these coins. Whatever spell you think you can store into it.”
“How will this help us?” Dreiki asked even if he had a vague understanding of the potential answer.
“Not all antimagic is made equal, as you know. Most don’t opt for an area of effect and will typically rely on antimagic collars. However, enchanting items beforehand allows you to circumvent it. If you can hide something small like a coin, then breaking out becomes a lot easier.”
Dreiki nodded, “So the plan is for us to pose as children who are easily trafficked so that they take us to their hideouts and we rescue any other children being imprisoned with us?”
Savekio snapped his fingers, “Nail on the head. So learn as much as you can. Every bit could mean the difference between life and death.”
“And what if we get lost?”
Savekio pat Ezo on the head, “I’ll make sure Ezo’s always got your scent. And this wouldn’t be the first time I’ve tailed people. I won’t lose either of you, that much I can promise.”
“And what are we going to do with the rescued children?” Luna asked.
“If they’ve got homes to go to, we’ll help them get to it. If not, then they’ll be coming with us to Mt.Arukuniir.”
“But what if they can’t make the journey?”
“They’ll have to. At the end of the day, journeying with a group to Mt.Arukuniir will give them much better odds of survival.”
“Why take them with us? Don’t we know anyone that can keep them safe instead?” Luna asked.
“I’ve come to realize, through accepting you into my house, that it benefits Dreiki to have training partners. I can only teach him so much, and so can you. Venator Knight children need to learn survival skills as well as combat. It’s the most effective way to increase their odds of survival while also training my disciple.”
Even now, Savekio didn’t look at Luna as his disciple. She was more of his teaching assistant. Whatever she picked up and learned was all to help hone Dreiki’s skills at the end of the day. It was how she earned her keep. Someone like Luna, who despised pity and handouts, was more than content with that.
But what if they picked up someone who wasn’t? Would Savekio leave them to the wolves?
“And make no mistake, I don’t intend to leave anyone behind.” Savekio said as if he could read his mind, “The Emperor and the nobles have made it rather clear that they would prefer to cling to power through bloodlines before they allow any ordinary peasant to rise to their status. They're going to be making some bold moves to further entrench people under their rule. I won’t be around to see it, but I’ll be damned if I leave behind a world ruled by nepotism. Every child saved and trained now is another to fight alongside you in a war for freedom later.”