The more time Dreiki spent with Lawtrick, the more difficult it became to think of him as a rival. He was strong. Stronger than the Xirxus, or anyone in the Tibur. It made sense, though. Unlike Dreiki, he had a fully fledged soul mark.

Over the course of the next week, Lawtrick would demonstrate his fighting prowess, cleaving through Magakos which guarded their path. It was hard to believe there was only a gap of two years between them. It made all the difference in the world. It was not just the power he exerted, but the impressive instinct and technique he had as well. His metal magic danced around him in a flurry of transforming arms and shields. He managed range with thin wires, and punished wild charges with a swift brutal swing of his fists.

And yet he was not reckless either. Lawtrick did not take fights he couldn’t win easily. And when forced to fight, he always managed to secure an advantageous position within the terrain. Watching him like he was, Dreiki had to wonder how he could rival someone like him. He appeared to have strength and a sharp mind as well as incredibly powerful magic. He was happy to sharpen himself against someone skilled like Lawtrick, but what was he offering in return?

Oruk strummed along on his lute, sitting and watching while Lawtrick carved through the final guardian of the mountainside, “He’s amazing isn’t he?”

“Yeah, It’s frightening how good he is,” Dreiki said.

“I reckon he could contend as a future Emperor if he really wanted to. I bet it wouldn’t take him more than four years to become a real king with strength like his.”

“How did he get so strong?”

Oruk shrugged, “Years of breaking and repairing his soul, I think. That’s what he told me.”

Dreiki looked to Savekio, “Grandpa, what am I supposed to do? You said I’m meant to rival him?”

“Whether you rival him or not is up to how well you can learn. Arukuniir is a powerful dragon, and they have much to offer. They have favored this lad, and I can certainly see why. Years of eating dragon meat and hard training have made him into a powerful warrior, but he is still lacking.”

“In what regard?”

“That is for you to figure out. He has already shown his weakness, but you have not been paying attention.”

Lawtrick jogged up with the lion head of a Chimera under his arm, “Souvenier! Hey Uncle, you think you can cook this and make it taste good too?”

Dreiki looked on. He had been observing Lawtrick for the past week attempting to find a weakness. Some sort of gap that Dreiki was meant to fill. It was not as if Lawtrick was bad mannered, or unintelligent. He was outgoing and social, but there was something about it that was always weird. He was putting up an act, but it was hard to tell what he was hiding. It was more like he was exaggerating his real self.

Dreiki knew he likely had a leg up when it came to general knowledge like history, math, and science, but Lawtrick was not particularly weak there either.

“I gotta say, I’m glad there’s more people our age who can be around the guy,” Oruk said.

“Why’s that?”

“Wherever we went, he was always real nervous. I usually had to do the talking for him for one reason or another.”

“Why’s that? He seems confident enough.”

“That’s how he pretends to be at first, yeah. Right now, he’s in his element. He can let loose and not worry about anything, but you get him in a city, and well… He’s more scared than a mouse to a cat.”

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“I’m not too good in social situations either.” Dreiki admitted.

“Really? Well that’s better. You’ll be able to relate to him a lot better than I ever could.”

“Oruk look out!” Lawtrick called out, tossing a dagger at his feet.

Dreiki jumped, “What was that about?”

Oruk pointed down at an insect the size of his hand, “I got eaten by a bug monster, so he protects me from small bugs as a joke,” he said, “Thanks buddy.”

“That’s ten times I’ve saved your life now! So you’re ten times my friend!”

“It’s eleven, actually.”

“Eleven times it is! No taking it back.”

“Now that you mention it, he is a bit awkward around other people, isn’t he? But why? He seems like a good person.”

Oruk shrugged, “Probably something to do with how he grew up on a farm. That’s my theory, anyway.”

“You know, I’ve been meaning to ask,” Dreiki said trailing off.

“Hm? What about?”

“Can you teach me how to play that song? The one you played during our first night.”

“Oh yeah, I don’t see why not. I can grow you an instrument of your own if you wanna practice. Why do you wanna learn?”

“I’ve heard that song before. My father used to sing it, I think. I don’t know why I remember it, but when you played it I felt like I was back in Lithiria. Why did food remind you of that song anyways?”

Oruk tapped his chin, “If I had to guess, it was because the meal Savekio cooked reminded me of home, and that song is one of the first ones I learned.”

“Even though you’re a xiozian too, you lived in Lithiria. But you don’t look like you’re a halfbreed or anything.”

“Do I need to be?”

“I guess not.”

Oruk laughed, “Yeah, well I understand what you mean, though. Growing up, there weren’t a lot of other kids who were like me, but I got along pretty well. I got a natural charm fit for a bard!”

“A bard?”

“Storytellers who weave magic into their words. One day I wanna write a song that can heal hearts and inspire minds!”

“Your element is Life magic right? Whenever you play I always sleep better during the night.”

“That’s because I’m casting spells while I play. Funnily enough it was a habit I developed to prevent Lawtrick from getting sick eating raw or rotting meat.”

“I see. Well it’s an incredibly useful technique. I almost wonder if I could do the same.”

“I’m sure you could! There’s a couple tricks to it, but once you learn how, it’s easy.”

“We’re fortunate to have you, then,” Savekio said, “I intended to have my disciple pick up an instrument at some point.”

“Why’s that, grandpa? Is it the whole ax and sword thing?”

“That’s part of it, I suppose. Rhythm and dexterity are important in fighting. Music can ignite the spirit, and it can push you beyond your current limits. It can make things easier to remember. There are plenty of benefits to learning an instrument. Besides, it’s good to have a hobby.”

They journeyed up the steep hills. Dreiki could no longer see the valleys below, they had climbed into the clouds themselves by now. Fog and clouds really were the same thing after all. Whenever the fog rolled over them, he could feel Luna grab at his cloak so as not to lose him in it. It had taken a week, but at least their bodies had begun to adjust to the thin air around them. Dreiki had woken up every morning more sore than he’d ever been, but Oruk’s songs always helped him push forward with a spring in his step. He wondered how Oruk seemed unaffected by it. Even if he was not a fighter, he still held his own following Lawtrick around. Perhaps his encounter being eaten had awakened his Ux? It was the only thing Dreiki could think of.

Their party had one final wall to climb. Lawtrick had taken to racing Ezo up the walls. In the past six contests, they were three and three.

“I aint gonna lose this time, in fact, I’ll carry half the gear and I’ll still win!” Lawtrick said, stretching his legs as he pulled bags off of Ezo’s back.

“Set,” Savekio said, already in the routine of counting them down, “Go!”

The two took off, disappearing into the clouds.

“Who are you betting on?” Oruk said, leaning over to him and Luna.

“I’m rooting for Ezo as always.”

“Gambling is bad for the soul,” Luna said, “But if I had to pick which one I wanted to win it would be Ezo.”

“I’ve got five silver on Lawtrick, then.” Oruk said.

“I’ll match that for Ezo.” Dreiki chuckled.