The path to Ardun, from all directions, is terrible. You've got the Hydr Dunes, Snakes Way, Frozen Zones, and Krukon's Forest. That's, and let me list them in order: Scorching sun and dehydration, fucking snakes, freezing cold, snow golems, ice labyrinths, oh yeah, and fucking baboons. Your pick, how would you like to die? To be completely honest I'd die by baboon cause at least it's fucking funny. Not that you'd be able to tell the tale at all. The only people who ever go to Ardun are the crazy power-seekers. And-
Huh? Yeah, i've been there. Which way? Let's just say I've killed my fair share of baboons.
- Horace, Ranger's Guild
Basket weaving wasn't that hard. Finding the right materials was the hard part. Having patience was a must of course, but Ace was used to waiting. That patience got him places, ironically. Waiting had a significant impact on his life if one could believe it. Waiting for the next job. Waiting for a shot to line up. Waiting to prank Luck but instead finding him in an abandoned church.
Waiting for lightning to strike.
He stood straight. Around him, shattered rocks and blackened ground. His hands were up to his chest but anyone around wouldn't have been able to tell. All they could see would be eery flashes of loud light on blackened rock. His hands were too bright, too powerful to look at. He was as still as a scarecrow standing among its field.
His target was a streak of gold and blue.
He lashed out. Unmoving, to the motion of a viper, faster, more precise. Dangerous. A blast of movement as powerful as the magic that shot from him. Lightning, a blast of white-blue so bright the only thing people had in way of evidence were the after images and aftermath. The ringing in their ears, the only hint to the power bursting through the air the previous silver of a second.
In this case, however, Tric remained unharmed. She caught the lightning for lack of a better term. Herself now crackling with lightning that Ace sensed more than saw. It was a raw power that Ace knew intimately.
Even as thunder announced the lightning belatedly, striking him in the chest.
But Ace caught it again, a cocky smile plastered on his face. Crackling light shadowing his face. "You'll have to be faster Tric!" He yelled, stabbing out once more with his magic. His body sweating with the bursts of movement and heat.
I am made of lightning Ace! A dragon of the storm! You can't beat me! Her voice was fast and sharp like herself. But never painful, only pleasant.
Another javelin of jagged light. Ace grinned again, his hands splayed out, glowing with power. "Faster." He growled, power shining in his eyes.
But rather than being turned off to that hungry grin. Tric gave the reptilian equivalent, knowing Ace on a level not many could. She growled back, more than ready to match Ace.
This continued, ramping up in speed. Soon the thunder was a constant thing. They decided to keep the damage to the forest at a minimum. Ace didn't think Luck had the particular sense since he seemed to think of the place as home but Ace felt a serious age to the surrounding forest. A power stronger than the lightning exchanged during his bouts. Deeper, more encompassing.
It was not a bad feeling, but it was suppressing in a way. Making him less hesitant to act out or otherwise disrespect the forest. But if there was one thing him and Tric had been practicing all day, it was precision. That was the problem with lightning magic it seemed. Getting it to hit where one wanted it to. Ace had come to hear frustration in his practice before Tric came. It was the reason he decided to go for a break and scavenge for food before Tric arrived.
He recalled running into Luck then. The man simply standing in a clearing, looking dangerous. But Ace knew Luck, the Amber Demon was always aware, always controlled. He walked in, not really fearing getting shot with the bow. The next few moments Ace remembered Luck dodging an attack from the canopy, Saga leaping from a thick branch just low enough to avoid his senses. Ace remembered Lucky dodging away from him, somehow finding the time to grab a fistful of sand in the maneuver and blinding Saga. In the next second, the man had an arrow to the cat's neck.
From the movement he was pulling off, it didn't seem like his back was burnt or melted at all. The fact he cheated a god and got an Evolving Base was judged extremely fortunate for Ace. No jealousy, Ace wasn't the type. But Luck was his friend and the closest thing to family he had, so a plus for him was a plus for Ace. Evodim had informed Ace of the healing spring he hadn't had the chance to try it but he assumed that's how Luck recovered.
Ace shook his head.
That man. Only Luck could've gotten away with cheating a god. Only the Amber Demon could've reacted as quickly fighting Saga. And, of course, the man could suddenly use a bow. But, then again he did remember Rick killing a man with a hidden blade from his cane so maybe Lucky's dad really was an antique weapons nerd.
He'd known stranger hobbies.
It really never occurred to Ace to ponder his actual aptitude with magic. In terms of his age, he was far, far behind. But in terms of actual time learning, he might've been considered a prodigy. A similarly aged man would never have achieved what Ace had in the time that he did. However, similarly, aged men would have already progressed to greater feats of magic.
Still, weaving through an ancient forest trading lightning with a sky-blue streak between ancient trunks was not something any sane magic practitioner would be comfortable with. Mechanical weaponry was weirdly applicable to his magic. If anyone were to see him they'd be surprised first, at the precision of such powerful blasts of lightning. Then, more so when they realized the perfect absorption by something in the trees. There was something in his Lightning magic that spoke to his training with his other weaponry. There was an intent to it. The knowledge that what he held was a weapon. He knew it was because it was his tool but he recognized the natural intuition he had gained from it. He knew how energy gathered, how it moved, how it released. How it destroyed.
Lightning magic was a weapon, and Acen Vent was intimately familiar with those.
Now, he sat meditating. Something he often did to anchor himself in the moment. He was in front of what Evodim deemed 'himself'. Apparently, the Grove wasn't Evodim and Evodim wasn't the Grove. There was an undefined distinction, but it was there all the same. The very front of the log cabin was a grass clearing, healthy trees interspersed throughout.
He could feel one of his legs falling asleep but a quick adjustment to his posture fixed it.
Ace? A sing-song voice played in his mind. Play with me! I can't find your friend's cat!
"No, Tric." Ace replied, chuckling. "Take a moment and slow down. When you've been living fast your entire life you'll develop a taste for the slow things." He smiled, eyes closed. A slight breeze, softened by the trees around him ruffled his jet black hair.
He sat loose, flexible. Back straight and focusing on the now.
Tric's figure slipped into view. She eyed Ace, electricity in her gaze. Her head tilted left but eventually followed her body and rested on the grass. Fine. But I didn't travel as far as I did to just wait.
Ace laughed, peeking an eye open. The grove was vibrant to his sensitive eyes, they had been closed for some time. Tric was only a few feet away, directly across from Ace.
"Of course." He said, already noticing Tric falling asleep.
An hour passed and Ace relaxed his posture, throwing his hands behind him to rest his weight against them. The sound of his clothes moving while he stretched his legs woke Tric.
He had a variety of fruit in his woven basket so without a word to Tric he made his way into the cabin. Opening the rustic door, he hung his hoodie on a peg on the wall.
His stomach rumbled gently.
He walked past the wooden tables, a faint sweetness wafting past him. Looking outside he could see Tric clearly. The little dragon was gazing around. Her scales sparkled in the sun, a current of energy and power running through them. But Ace's Soul Companion was content in the breeze.
Ace smiled soft but deep. Moving behind the counter and through the kitchen door, he wondered if Tric had noticed Saga stalking her yet. The two companions had a familiar dynamic.
Setting his basket on a steel surface set into a wooden prep area, Ace removed all the fruits of his labor. Flarefruit, Soaked Apples, Glowturns, Coldleaf, Heat Berries, Sweet Bark, his basket was empty by the time he was done recounting the names in his head.
He sorted all the fruit and vegetables, sampling them, then sorting them further based on taste. Flarefruit was a burst of flavor, dark gold the fruit was reminiscent of mango and citrus. Sweet Bark was just that, a sweet crunch that melted in your mouth. Soaked Apples looked to be a waterlogged fruit dark blue in color. There was a gradient to the blue, getting darker in the center, as if all the cool sweet flavor was contained there. The Glowturns were a soft glowing yellow, of all the fruit they were the only ones with a syrupy consistency. The sap inside of the transparent orbs was rich in flavor, though Ace hesitated to call it sweet. It was an interesting palate. Coldleaf really intrigued Ace however. It was a frosty blue leaf, extremely vibrant, the leaves emitted a blue mist. Evodim had assured him they were edible. It was minty, but less in the way of mouthwash and more in the way of ice cream. A coolness ran throughout his body as he chewed on one. Heat Berries were the opposite. They were deep red berries hanging by the dozen off thin branches low to the floor. Ace had to run off a few small animals snuggling under the berries for warmth. The berries themselves tasted like a hot spice, tasty enough to have alone but probably better complementing something else.
Ace separated each. He opened one of the many wooden drawers to find a fully stocked kitchen. It wasn't hard to find the cutlery. He chopped a few of the fruits, seeing how they held in slices. He did the same with the berries. Some held well, others like the soaked apples simply popped and deflated. The glowturns just oozed. That was okay. A dish was already coming to Ace's mind.
He placed one of the pans on the stove and began heating it up. The glowturn sap was cooked into thicker more crustlike sugar shards. He broke it off the pan and placed them aside. The flarefruit actually charred quite nicely, adding a crisp, harder flavor to all the sweetness. Ace prepared more than a few this way. Biting into the hard exterior was like biting into an explosion of taste.
There was still some leftover deer meat. Ace wasn't exactly sure what the animal was called. There was an ice room in the back where had strung up the carcass. He went there now, leaving some fruit cooking.
Grabbing a giant knife off to the side Ace chopped a slice of meat off the flank. He carried this over to the prep area and began slicing it up further. The heat berries, coldleaf, and sweet bark came together in a variety of taste tests with the meat to determine a perfect pairing. The spice paired well, the coldleaf and sweet bark did not.
He threw another pan next to the pan seared flarefruits. He slapped a slab of meat and set it to a slow cook, grabbing one of the soaked apples. He popped the apple over the deer meat marinating it in the juice. He cut open a glowturn and let some of the sugary sap glaze over the steak. Heat berries, not too much, were thrown in as well.
"Ahhh. That smells good." Ace said aloud. "Haven't had a kitchen to myself in a long time." He smiled, looking around. His hands went to work even as he assessed the facilities.
He purposely burned a flank of meat, going for a more crisper dish. He left the meat by itself save for some heat berries. He plated the steak on a swatch of sweet bark, sprinkling glowturn sugar shards on top.
Thirty minutes passed and the slow cooked flank of meat was ready. He could smell the sweet gamey aroma rise from the pan. He slipped it onto a swatch of sweet bark as well. Slicing himself a sliver, he noted the dull sweet taste that absorbed into the meat. Opening one of the overhead cabinets showed him that Evodim was fully stocked in condiments and spices.
Ace sighed to himself. "Right, should've checked everything first. It's fine, just needed salt."
He plucked a white-capped container from the cabinet. Throwing another pan on the stove, he added glowturn sap and heat berries. The spice both dulled and complimented the sweetness of the glowturn fruit. Salt was a welcome addition, making the mix more mouthwatering. He added pepper as well.
This sauce he spread over the slow-cooked steak.
There were only two dishes. They served as plates from which Ace and Luck could serve themselves. One was the heavily seared steak, topped with glowturn sugar shards and complimented by heat berries on a sweet bark plate. He salted that one as well, and the dish became more meaty than sweet, as intended. The second was thoroughly cooked, marinated in soaked apple juice, glazed with glowturn sap and sprinkled with heat berries. Additionally, a heavy sauce, both sweet and salty accompanied the dish.
As a side, pan seared flarefruit for both as well as coldleaf-wrapped soaked apples.
The dishes, a tad too sweet perhaps, given the ingredients though Ace had made do. If he knew there were condiments and spices fully stocked it would've been different. He did take a certain amount of pride looking at the dishes. He created them from unknown ingredients after all. Overall, the color scheme was dark and colorful. This was to be expected, however, the fruits by Luck's request were filtered by Evodim to be the most nutritious.
He spotted Tric through the server window as he cleaned up. The dragon was shooting small lightning bolts into the trees sporadically.
"Crazy dragon." Ace shook his head. "You're gonna get pounced on with that level of ignorance." He adjusted his view wondering if Saga was in the same place. The shar was just barely visible hidden behind foliage as dark as his matte coat.
The food was still warm by the time Luck arrived. Ace was sitting outside, his hands out behind him as Tric darted around. Ace's mouth quirked up watching the dragon. His attention was stolen, however, when he felt magic from the forest. He was seeing how long he could fool Saga into thinking he hadn't noticed him.
Luck was shirtless, some kind of black armor covering his upper body. The ground around him was pulsing in slow ripples, clearly by his efforts. Ace had to blink multiple times, Luck himself was blinking in and out of existence. The stagger was brief, Luck only moving maybe half a foot before blinking back in. He was practicing his Time magic and Earth magic apparently. The armor was anyone's guess but he didn't seem to be in distress over it.
Briefly, Ace wondered if he could take a blast of lightning but he shook those thoughts away.
"Hey, Ace." The Amber Demon greeted him.
"Food's ready inside." Ace stood, his hands wiping away the dirt on his pants. He smiled as he swiveled his neck to look directly at Saga. "Made something for the shar as well."
Luck smirked, calling Saga to come out. The shar came to rub up on Luck's legs, eyeing Ace. "He forgets you're just as dangerous as I am. A product of the life we lived." He shrugged.
"Best he learns by example." Ace shrugged, the both of them speaking as if Saga was nothing but a kitten. Said kitten growled indignantly.
"True." Luck grinned. "How was practice? Heard a lot of thunder, nearly nonstop too." Even as he spoke, the dark armor covering him fell away leaving him shirtless. He untied his shirt and jacket from his waist and put them on, slipping his arms through the clothes.
"Eventful. Learned a lot. Is it bad that picturing magic as a weapon tends to help me implement it?" Ace as they walked through the cabin door into the restaurant section of Evodim.
Instead of moving to sit down Luck passed the table without looking at the food. "Damn, that smells good. And no, I don't think so. From what I've gathered though picture it as a weapon all you like. Just know that it isn't all that it is. There are some other utilities for each. Construction, healing, ease of life. Energy." He said pointedly, Ace rolled his eyes.
"I'm well aware, Lucky. It's still magic, of course, I'm thinking of everything else it can do." He yawned, feeling the ache of not only his physical body but his magical stamina as well.
Luck was pouring, twirling and dabbling in the bar. Strong liquids swirled in his hands coalescing into something finer. His hands move with a sure deftness that many would've thought was born behind the bar. Ace knew better. "Of course, of course. You're Ace Vent, a man of many secrets as my dad loved saying."
Ace shook his head as his friend brought the drinks over. "You want to get into this, now?" He chuckled. "If we're talking names and what people say about them I've got you beat Lucky."
Luck frowned then sighed. "Fine, I surrender preemptively. Enjoy your victory." He said dirtily. "And your drink." As he slid a cool clear glass towards him.
Ace caught the liquid, absorbing the momentum through his arm as to not spill the liquid. The glass sliding across the hardwood was a comforting and familiar sound. He had been to many bars in the past.
"And you, your food." He smiled.
They talked vaguely of their practices of the day. Some information and insights into magic they felt they needed to share rather than keep secret. The majority, however, was indeed vague. Luck talked about his interest in keeping the grove teeming with critters, hinting at how useful it would be. He did elaborate on what exactly a Grove was and Ace rose his eyebrows at this. The druids weren't a product of an ancient magic, they were simply people that fit the requisites set by ancient mages.
Ace himself had not much to talk about. Luck didn't question Tric or what she was, probably having arrived at his own conclusion Ace guessed.
Tric and Saga were eating their own meals nearby. He laid their food by the entrance to Saga's living space. Tric he gave some of the sharper berries and darker ones. Saga got a fat slab of meat from his earlier kill in the cold room. He was amused at what he found when he looked over to check on them during a lull in his own conversation.
Tric was poking at Saga, not annoyingly, but civil. Saga snorted exasperatingly but surrendered three neat strips cut off his flank of meat with his forepaw, his claws sharper than any knives in the kitchen and nuzzled them towards Tric. The companion trilled happily, a flash of color running down her scales.
Two white bunnies hopped innocently out of Saga's room. They looked at the meat and hopped away, perhaps panicked. Saga rolled his eyes.
"Ha. Seemed like they actually get along." Luck said with his mouth full.
"Well, Tric actually likes him. Saga's always been hard to read for me though. I'm not sure if the cat even likes me." Ace still thought Saga only tolerated him because he was friends with Luck.
"He's dubbed you Quiet One. And calls me Amber Eyes. " Luck smirked. "He's actually a big softie. As you can see." He gestured and Ace's eyes followed.
Saga was currently in the process of glaring at them, hearing the conversation. Unfortunately, two white balls of fluff were perched on his head thereby flattening his ears and pulling his eyes down. The effect was a smushed sad expression.
Ace and Luck burst out laughing.
They had to stop themselves to finish their food. Eventually, their smiles got lost in the chewing but their happiness didn't fade.
It reminded Ace of Luck being buried in small animals earlier. It was a good memory and it made him smile contently to which Luck noticed, unsurprisingly.
"Something funny?" Luck smirked.
He wasn't about to tell Luck how glad he was to have come with him. He had told him before, but the day he found Luck in that abandoned church was the day he decided to end his own life. He was planning on meeting Luck one last time before ending it all.
Then the damn Amber Demon invited him to another world.
Ace lips quirked up a little further.
"Just your face Lucky." He said eloquently.
Their last day in the grove ended with Luck polishing off the alcohol glasses and Ace cleaning up the kitchen. Luck told him it was basically his and that he should feel free to move everything to his liking. He opted to do it by hand rather than ask Evodim and leave the room, that way he could get a better feel for the kitchen. It was still early in the night when they decided to soak in the healing spring with Saga and Tric joining them. It seemed Saga and Luck had more injuries than Ace and Tric did. Ace was content to soak in the silence and so was everyone else.
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It was a long time before Luck got up yawning. He grabbed a towel and Saga followed him out. Half an hour later Ace and Tric did the same. The physical exhaustion of the day was still there, but none of the pain.
Custom leather never felt so soft.
----------------------------------------
So much potential in his own hands. He felt magic gather around his whole body, but Luck liked to use his hands and his mind. He lay in bed now. His stomach full. There was no physical toll by using magic as far as he could tell unless you overtaxed yourself and went into mana fatigue as Ace had before. All the same though, his mind was tired, rotating through various magical exercises on his way back to the cabin from the center of the grove.
Preparing different aspects of nature, shaping the rock around him, phasing in and out of time. Sending pulses of Earth magic through the ground, moving items around while time-locked, exploring the denizens of the grove through his mind. Exhausting.
His mind wandered further into sleep as if sinking into his very bed sheets. Thoughts of rampant magic crossed his conscious. Combinations of magics unseen, unheard of. He wondered of his higher affinities and what they were. He wondered what other tools Ace had at his disposal. The food he prepared, could magic be similar to a recipe?
Thoughts on the mouthwatering foods that they had eaten together earlier was what eventually knocked Luck out.
The next morning Luck and Ace stepped out of the dimensional room emerging from the dark alley between slanted temples that they disappeared into previously. Saga and Tric emerged afterward, having been somewhere in the forest. This happening was unheard of. Dimensional Rooms only opened for their owners, alas Evodim was a sentient being thus Saga and Tric could leave at will. Any scholar specializing in magical artifacts would be baffled at seeing such a thing. It was widely known Evolving Artifacts obeyed a single master. Luck had discussed the topic with Evodim earlier.
Protc's temple watched silently, the very top visible from even a few shrines away. The battle with Melthin and the havoc that the Wazar wrought flashed fresh in his mind. The chaos following the system update was immediate.
"Thank you, Protc." Luck offered quietly, his voice no more than a whisper as his eyes looked forward.
People noticed them. It might have been Ace's hair or Luck's eyes. Maybe the two of them combined. Likely, it was Saga's presence that reminded the citizens of their group.
Ace glanced at Luck as if gauging his reaction.
Luck's hand found Saga's shoulder, stroking the shar as they walked through wrecked trader's stalls. Awnings were broken, some hanging off the hastily constructed booths. Wares were strewn about and houses were damaged. It had only been a day outside and although Luck and Ace had seen countless deaths they had never seen so many bodies in one place. Or out in the open for that matter.
Snakes were the majority. Weighted sand vipers that Luck knew. He spoke small words for them in low Drood as they came across a carcass of a callamoth surrounded by the serpents. Soon they came across a familiar building with the front door destroyed, right on the edge of the residential and shopping districts. A dead callamoth, a degree larger than any nearby lay on its side. A pool of stale blood under its extended neck. A woman and her daughter stood there, the daughter a younger mirror of her mother.
Luck held eye contact for a small moment, dipping his head slightly as the woman found his gaze.
Their footsteps crunched upon the sand as twisted grains brought them closer to the central tower and the Arena Fields. There were exotic animals dead around the base of the tower when they arrived. Luck noticed a massive jorth lying dead near a broken hole in the wall. It seemed some of the animals escaped that were being kept for the arena.
It was early morning. The system of shading in Peace allowed the tallest buildings to shade the squatter ones. The town was built in rough line, east to west. Early sun was at their backs as they arrived, silhouettes to the small group waiting for them.
Madam Savs, Nayah, and Borg. They stood about arguing. Right there by the enchanted curtains of the entrance to the tower. The sand nearby was softer and finer here, but that only made more apparent the clots of blood staining the powder.
"You will take it, foolish girl!" Madam Savs yelled, shoving a small pouch to Nayah.
"Mother no! I will not. I swore those away the night Father died!" She screamed, and like a slap to the face Madam Savs shut up.
Her face narrowed and Borg took a subtle step backward, stepping over bloody sand. He was extremely quiet for his normal character Luck noted.
Nayah was dressed in all leather, practical traveling armor. She was crying, and Luck knew for some odd reason that girl had come to respect him, if only for his bartending skills. He still needed to figure that out, though it ranked pretty low on the stuff he wanted to do. If his hunch was right it had everything to do with her father or family.
Luck glided right between them, Borg's face going slightly pale as he saw the movement.
"Madam Savs, Nayah." He greeted in smooth Common. "What's the problem? We're to depart soon so I take it there are no complications?" His was a voice that cooled the hottest coals. The voice of a mediator, oozing reasonableness and logic.
Madam Savs breathed deep noticing the rest of Luck's group for the first time, eyes alighting upon the dragon perched upon Ace's shoulder before moving away uninterested. "She refuses her most valuable asset." She said simply.
"You." Luck gestured to Nayah. "Take it. She's your mother. I won't travel with a stubborn child." He said calmly. Luck's face was one that brooked no arguments.
Nayah glared at Luck as if indignant for him taking sides with her mom but Luck could care less. He stared her down and she grabbed the pouch. Her hair flashed orange, again too short for Luck to think anything of it. Something pushed against Luck's mind but he dismissed it again.
In truth, if Madam Savs assumed it was that valuable to her then it probably was. And Luck really didn't want a difficult travel companion.
Not that she was the only one.
Erok and Maxworth approached now, coming from around the base of the tower. They stepped around a handful of dead beasts but arrived in no short amount of time.
"Erok, Maxworth." He greeted. "A pleasure once again."
"Pleasure." They said simultaneously, a smooth pitch over uneven roughness.
Erok looked about with interest, nudging the nearest animal carcass. Maxworth similarly examined the surrounding mayhem, his head on a swivel.
Luck nodded. "I take it you are both with everything you need?" He asked.
"Yes, the Roken need nothing but rock. Though I bring many weapons. " He rumbled in Roken. The rock man's hammer was gripped by the very rock that grew from his back. It was an impressive weapon and Erok walked with the weight as if it was nothing. Shorter blades were attached to his legs and thighs.
"And you Maxworth?" Luck queried, his face betraying none of his analysis. Nor did his eyes. Luck could be as robotic as clockwork if he wanted to.
"The Gentlemen need no such sustenance, sir." He replied politely. The silver man's arm was reattached, looking no worse of wear. In fact, it didn't even seem like it was detached in the first place. His arms hovered by his daggers that Luck knew were there. The small man held eye contact.
Unlike them, Ace and Luck walked around unarmed. And they seemed harmless, dressed in casual clothes that have been repairing themselves continuously since they entered Evodim. It irked Luck, having to wear the same clothes. His fashionable side was mildly disgusted at himself but rational reasoning won out and Luck knew it was unavoidable for now.
Luck gathered from the stares of the civilians he and Ace looked the part of wealth. Their higher quality clothing was apparent enough and the people of Peace took that at face value and made their own assumptions.
Inexperienced or naive.
That was what he knew he looked like. He didn't care though. It was just useful to know your impression on others. After the havoc of last night, however, they all knew better. He and Ace were perfectly capable.
"Shall we head out?" Luck asked. "We'll just need horses to mount Madam Savs. I take it that's fair payment for the seeds that might continue to feed Peace for generations?"
Harsh features narrowed then softened. "There exists no horse that might even have a chance of traveling across the desert beyond Hydr Valley. We travel by camel if at all we have to. Of course, there are different mounts available." She left it open, waiting for Luck to decide.
"The sturdiest and most enduring mounts you can spare if you will. Ones suited for danger as we'll likely come across many hazards in light of the new update." Luck looked around pointedly making eye contact with each in his traveling band.
Erok smiled knowingly laying a hand on his hammer in assurance. Maxworth bowed shortly tapping his weapons as well. Nayah, face still puffy, was looking at the small pouch in her hands. Ace shrugged and winked.
"I'll have them ready." Madam Savs looked around as if for the first time noticing how little the entire group had between themselves. The only person with a pack was Nayah. "How do you plan on traveling the months towards Ardun without any supplies? You've not a single thing on your person!"
"I've many secrets Madam Savs. You don't need to concern yourself over Ace and I. We are perfectly capable of surviving for a very, very long time in the desert. The same goes for our companions." Luck placated her, gesturing to Saga and Tric. A look of disbelief crossed her face.
"I cannot let my daughter's protectors starve less they slack in their duty. I will outfit the two of you with a traveling pack with provisions to last a week. That is all I can offer given the current state of the city." Madam Savs grimaced, her eyes flicking to workers clearing out the dead animals.
There were only two or three of them working the rest were off in the distance dealing with the bodies of sentiments. But Luck watched as they came nearer, moving to the bodies near to Madam Savs and Luck.
Ace stepped up casually having apparently been studying his Common. "Madam Savs, trust. We are extremely capable." He said, voice earnest as he laid a hand on Luck's shoulder, concealing something in the process. "Him more so than me." He gestured to Luck, grinning.
"I simply can't trust the life of my daughter with random strangers." Her face was harsh as if the sun darkened. Her voice was low, regretful and apologetic. "No matter how capable you claim to be. She is safer here than anywhere else." She had not noticed any of Luck or Ace's maneuvering. A terrible oversight that she underestimated them once again.
Luck cut in. "Your man will stay his hand or mine will cut it off." His voice was sharp, sudden and loud. Startling Madam Savs.
The worker reaching for the dead body of a small furry animal at their feet was not even glanced at. He had a large dagger hidden under his forearm and if his posture was any tell he was poised to strike upwards at Luck. Luck had noticed a long while ago and Ace had moved accordingly, having noticed it himself. The worker had frozen, frigid.
Now, Ace's dagger was sharper and closer to the man's neck than the man's own dagger was to his hand. Glistening steel already having drawn a bead of blood. And Ace seemed to have it there in an instant. The threat of death kept the poor man completely still as Ace addressed Savs.
Ace smiled softly, staring straight at Savs even while his dagger pressed against the crouching worker. "Sorry, Madam. We hold our lives in high importance and place pain very low."
Madam Savs grit her teeth crookedly. "I thought you were unarmed." She spoke slowly, forcing out the words through a guise of composure. Her hard gaze swept up from her assassin to Luck and her face paled slightly.
Slits of amber stared back, eyes sharper than any human's had a right to be, cat-like. There was a cutting animal nuance to his face now, piercing and perturbing. His hands, concealed in his pockets boasted claws as sharp as Saga's. Madam Savs mouth couldn't find the words even as her eyes flicked about his face in widened surprise. They settled on his teeth, sharp incisors poking at his lips, hinting at a longer length.
"Never." Luck hissed. He gave a harsh look to Savs as if such attempts on his life were an everyday occurrence and he was giving her fair warning. The look was almost daring, his eyes sparkling with playful arrogance. "Let him go Ace." He finally said, smirking. He had opted out of using the chitin armor. The armor was less intimidating and he'd rather have Spirit hold that aspect indefinitely. The aspect of the Black Shell Centipede or Hard Chitin Centipede. One that could save his life in a pinch he knew.
"My pleasure." Ace replied.
Ace kicked the man to the floor. He was as gentle as he had any right to be Luck noticed. The man grunted but otherwise stayed silent. He scrambled behind Madam Savs, breathing hard. His eyes weren't dilated so Luck acknowledged the man had seen death in the eyes before, many times even. But they did widen slightly as he caught Luck's features. The man nodded subtly to Ace, respect in the gesture for sparing his life, knowing how easily a slice of the knife could've opened his throat.
"A test then?" Luck wondered aloud, as Saga's aspect faded. His eyes lost their feline nature as they narrowed towards Savs. "Or an actual attempt on my life? I noticed Erok and Maxworth not reacting, odd given their prowess in battle. Nayah knew, of course, that much was clear given her wandering eyes. Borg did a decent enough job at giving little away. And you Savs had the audacity to smile in my face and stab me in the back. This, after all, we've done to help Peace in the last few days." Back was the man she had known previous, nothing left of the eerie predator before.
"Not exactly the picture of hospitality." Ace chimed in, his kitchen knife disappearing into his jacket.
"Not at all." Luck spit.
"What now? Will you kill me then?" Savs glared at him, indignant. Nayah's eyes widened in Luck's peripheral. "You have benefited Peace greatly but I have no idea how long your enchanted seeds may take to even sprout! Let alone bear fruit! This city thrives on travelers and monsters but there is always a healthy balance. Do not misunderstand me, Lockyer. I deeply thank you for helping all those that you have. But I cannot have my daughter traveling with someone when I have not a single idea of their capability. Your performance in the Arena Fields is impressive true, but you had done nothing but run and burn your back entirely. So kill me then! Kill me for worrying about my only daughter!" She yelled, now out of breath, pointedly avoiding looking at Nayah.
"No." Luck sighed. "You simply acted on maternal instinct. Stupidly, I might add. But nonetheless, I have a family as well." Luck replied. He knew Madam Savs could not know that his back had healed entirely and her concern was well warranted. He did in fact act as bait that entire fight. "To address your position on my capabilities, you simply have no idea, Madam."
"You are no linguist Luck Lockyer." She squinted. "You are something much more dangerous. I have no idea how you have come to learn Shadowspeak either. But you have misled both Borg and Nayah with your story of completing your father's map. You cannot possibly be a simple traveling linguist, it is improbable. "
Astute, Luck conceded. "I am a linguist. " He stressed. "But I am also many other things, Savs. One of those is a winner to our bet. Nayah decides her own profession on account of me defeating the challenge of the Arena Fields. And if she decides she would like to be trained as a bartender then I can offer her that luxury. Additionally, I gave you the enchanted seeds anyway, a good majority of the desert favoring plants and vegetation at my disposal. Nayah comes with us if she so chooses. This group we have is a capable bunch Madam and if you believe she is safer with those in the city than this group of travelers that don't have even have a single scratch on them then you must be delusional."
"Your back is enough evidence for me, Lockyer. Your group is not entirely unscathed. And if I remember correctly even your companion cat..." She trailed off, noticing the lack of cuts and bruises on Saga.
As if opening her eyes for the first time, she glanced around, amid the chaos of yesterday, the bodies lying around, the rubble of the surrounding buildings and the defeated citizens stood a single group of unscathed souls. Luck, Ace, Saga, Tric, Erok, and Maxworth stood without any signs of battle on them.
Internally, Luck was more impressed by Erok and Maxworth than he was of anyone else. He knew the healing spring was credited largely with their own lack of damage but Erok and Maxworth was a mystery. Especially since he had seen Maxworth lose an entire arm in the fight with the wazar.
In contrast, Madam Savs' heavy robe was heavily scuffed. The material frayed at the ends in similarity to Nayah's clothes. Luck conceded that could just as easily be wear and tear, however. Borg stood as well, his traveling clothes and rambunctious attitude suppressed by the damage apparent in the way he held his ribs.
Luck smirked. "Not a single scratch on us, Madam."
"This is what I want to do mother." Nayah's small voice interjected. "I can't be cooped up here in Peace forever. We both know it." Her voice was timid as if that simple sentence was the bravest thing she had ever said.
"I will not apologize for the attempt on your life. " She said looking at Luck hard. "But Nayah, we still- " Savs began.
"Our mounts Madam if you please. Nayah has made clear her position." Luck cut her off, already having moved on. "Just don't do it again. You don't know who you're dealing with. You have no idea." He said without any particular inflection.
Though his delivery was nonchalant it was as if something replaced Luck in that split second. There was an old presence about him, a life of crime and hard living manifest. The scar down his cheek became more prominent, his smirk more ominous. Amber, if ever such a color could be cold it would've been confirmed in the moments Luck's eyes swept over the gathered individuals. Luck's eyes weren't that of a petty criminal dabbling in low profile illegal activities. No, Luck lived at the height of criminal corruption, the very top of the pyramid in the most corrupt and vulnerable cites when it came to criminal activity.
And the Amber Demon thrived there.
Many of those present were battled hardened but there was something crueler than mere bloodshed in Luck's eyes. A fathomless knowing in rich amber. This was the gaze of a man who had seen humanity at its worse and then some. His was the visage of someone who had seen true monsters intent on ruining lives through sick and twisted means. Horrors born of man, worse than even the most terrifying abomination. He had witnessed the torment the truly motivated could bring to others, the depravity of the lowest of the low that resided at the highest rungs of criminal society.
The dance of power back in the city was a dangerous thing. Dirty hands were always reaching. Men would suffer metal implements in the basements of wicked others. Torture was easy. Luck had used it many times. He was good at it too. Pain was a great motivator no matter what part of the body it came from. But there were more methods that people used to get what they wanted. Torture was simply the tip of the iceberg, there were worse methods that even he refused to use.
Luck always summed it up to blackmail and extortion but the details were lost in that summary. His eyes faded for a while, reflecting those memories. He looked at everyone present. His visage, more disturbing now than altered by magic.
Erok shifted his rocky figure, stony joints grating as he stood straighter. Maxworth dipped his head in eloquence, keeping yet again cordial and polite. Nayah visibly shivered as Luck's gaze passed over her as if the look was a physical search. Saga cocked his head, his lithe figure pausing for the smallest moments as Luck met his feline eyes. Tric was either too naive to spot anything in Luck's gaze or didn't care. And Ace grimaced knowingly, his own eyes flashing with memories of the past.
"No, she does not." Ace said quietly in English, snapping Luck back to the present.
That life was over.
Madam Savs stood a little straighter keeping her tells hidden well. But Luck knew she was uncomfortable. She glanced away as Luck held her gaze. The assassin beside her stood rigid as well perhaps remembering Ace's deadly movement or Luck's near-instant transformation to something less human.
After a pregnant moment, she finally answered. "Borg, the keid." Madam Savs turned to Luck, defeated. Her face had softened with worry, harsh features all but disappearing. She regarded Luck in confidence and with finality trusting her daughter to him. "They are a sturdy animal with high vitality. Not fast, not slow. They are expensive creatures but they have no use other than traveling. As is, they are a drain on city resources now. The other mounts at least have other uses. I caution you however Lockyer. These beasts are notoriously uncooperative and quite capable of harming their riders." She warned, her face giving an apologetic smile. "They do fit exactly what you're looking for though. And I only give the keid up now because Peace can't afford to feed them. Our food stocks have been wiped out. The snakes found our icehouses before they left and sunk their venomed teeth into nearly everything. Of our icehouses that survived, the callamoths have broken into almost all of them thereby compromising their mage chill."
"Shouldn't be a problem." Luck smiled.
Shortly thereafter Borg returned with three lumbering beasts in tow. Adjacent, Borg looked small. Keid, Luck observed, were fairly massive. Each probably equated to the size of a large van. Attached to each was a harness, it connected from the base of their body to a portable awning, shading their backs as well as anyone on them. He wasn't high enough to see their back fully but he assumed there was some type of cushions there as well.
Spirit. Luck started.
The secular voice was fast to respond. Weathered skin, tough leather hide. Quadrupedal. Thick muscles. It's muscle to fat ratio is highly skewed. Its mass is almost completely muscle, efficient enough to survive in this environment without any extra energy stores. Little to no fat is present. Peculiar, these inputs do not point towards an endurance animal.
As the keid got closer Luck truly took in the beast. Making eye contact, he found a stubborn gaze staring back before it turned away in mischief. The beasts were light brown, a hide camouflaged in the dunes outside of Hydr Valley. Their feet were actually jointed flat hooves. Crinkled eyes were set deep under prominent ridged eyebrows planted on very, very wrinkly face.
The nearest one grunted as Borg led them to the middle of the group. On cue, the furthest keid to the back yanked on the rope Borg held them to and sent him sprawling backward.
"Gah, damn keids!" He yelled, clutching his ribs. Borg spat in the sand as he got up only to be jerked violently to the side and onto his back again. The keids chortled.
The middlemost kicked sand over him, demonstrating an interesting flexibility in their joints. They chortled again.
Borg got up grimacing, obviously in pain. Luck wondered how he could administer his Troll's Blood for bone damage.
"They're a handful to deal with. Violent more than not. " A voice rumbled in Roke. Erok was patting the first keid on the forehead. After a moment, he knocked heads with it and grunted. "They respond to my people well." The keid twisted its head and grunted deep in response.
"Seems they have a lot of quirks." Luck regarded the one by Erok, not shy to approach. It looked at him curiously.
Luck smirked, dodging the keid's shoulder as it shrugged it forward. Erok stopped patting the keid. "You've handled them before?" He rumbled.
"No, but they're not too hard to figure out." Luck smirked, eyeing the one nearest to him. It looked away unconcerned.
"They are great pack animals, very good for moving trade goods if controlled correctly," Erok added. "They are a boon for traveling in harsh environments. As such, they are a harsh animal and well reputed when cooperating."
"Really? Are they a commonly found in Aerae then?"
Erok shrugged. "I wouldn't know. Aerae itself is so large it's hard to determine. For my people, they are not common but they are well known for being good traveling mounts."
Ace approached one carefully, seeming to have more confidence than he should. His walk was lax but he kept his distance initially. Tric perched atop his head this time and the keid followed her gaze. Eventually both the keid and Ace calmed down.
Meanwhile, Saga was behind staring at the furthest one. The keid snorted, kicking up sand and Saga walked past it. He repeated this to the others as well. They grunted heavily to each other and Saga dropped his head low and growled at them, they stopped.
Nayah stood trembling, Borg trying to calm her down while Maxworth did the opposite, standing completely still. The keid seemed to leave them alone.
Erok eventually went back to tending to the one he had apparently chosen.
Luck stood, observing all with a smirk. Today would be the day he took his first step towards reuniting with his family. His mother, his father, Tate. He missed them all. His first steps to Ardun. He wondered what chaos might've been birthed there. It was impossible to estimate the age of Aerae, but Ethodthem might be waking up any number of things.
Madam Savs walked over. "They can be violent, you know." She said, interrupting his thoughts. He had hoped she would simply watch as well. He never had the best luck ironically.
"She'll be fine." Luck replied, seeing past her sun-hardened exterior. He gave Savs an amused glance. "She's determined. Someone could do a lot with that."
Madam Savs smiled sadly. "How can you be sure?"
His first kill. He remembered his father watching him. It was a woman and her face was etched into his memory, a back image to every life he took. Blonde, blue eyes, soft features with hard eyes. His father had watched him take her life. It's not said anywhere, but once you first kill you become part of the underground. It was a transition from a boy to a man.
"You can't."
She looked to him curiously. "No inspiring speech? No promise to protect my daughter? No show of bravado or sweet words?" She turned away, old eyes resting on her daughter.
"I have my own path to follow. If she wants to come, the first thing keeping her alive will be herself." He said.
She smiled, her eyes showing crow's feet as she did, a true smile, soft and nostalgic. Luck turned slightly, finding a woman trusting her daughter to become one as well before she spoke. "You are oddly refreshing Lockyer."
Luck shrugged to her as Ace neared.
"Ready Lucky? Or you getting cold feet?" Ace quipped, bringing his keid around.
"Not in this sand and that sun." He joked, looking up at his friend. He moved, towards his own, Nayah looking lost, followed his movement.
"You are sure you have no need of any supplies? None at all? Is it suicide to go past Hydr without water unless you are knowledgeable of the wildlife there. Not even a Ranger can always make the trip safely." Savs called out, standing regally.
The detail about the Ranger was interesting but Luck was fine. There was a whole grove to draw resources from. "We have everything we need. " He waved dismissively, mounting the nearest keid.
Savs sighed. "So be it, Lockyer. I will come to trust you on this, more so if you visit and return my daughter safely."
Luck nodded.
"Uh... hmm." Nayah stared at the beast's flank, unsure of how to get up. Luck had just run up the side, treating the keid like a wall. "I don't see how..."
"Trouble?" Luck asked absently, pretending to check his person.
In the end, she had to be helped. Luck brought her up effortlessly, a strength to his body it shouldn't have. For her part, she seemed greatly surprised at the ease with which she was helped up.
Luck ignored her eyes.
In all, it was Erok and Maxworth riding one. Nayah sat with Luck and Ace had his own. Saga rode as well, his weight was nothing to what the keid could lift. The shar slept between Luck and the girl, mentally prompted by Luck.
"Are we all ready?" Luck called.
"I am ready, sir," Maxworth said, faster than anyone.
"Ready as I'll ever be Lucky."
"Ready," Erok replied in Common.
"Yes." Said a timid voice behind him.
Then they were off the sun at their backs.