“How do we know we’re not walking to our deaths? This could be a trap.” Jin asked, as he crunched an apple he had been gifted by Eliza before departure.
“Because they preferred to use the Dark Crystal, one of the rarest items in Ravnos to murder a single Sentinel. Nothing against your brother but that is the greatest signal which they weren’t sure they could take down.”
"Think about it." Aleria continued, "If you were that ferocious beast, and you had ascended to Sentinel or above, what would your plan be?"
Fondling his hair in thought, Jin shrugged, “I suppose I’d prefer to play the waiting game. The next time Vendrick left on a mission, he would be ambushed...”
"Which never happened." Aleria said, as she gauged the distance to her target tapping the elemental, “Let's get going, we must hunt the beast before it reaches the next village. It is safer to engage in the plains before a third party comes to be entangled.”
"Right on."
Jin had thought they needed to use maps; meandering around the kingdom of Elba astray from the main roads connecting the trade caravans was no easy task. However, as the hours passed Alaeria proved this was not the case. Calling out the name of far-away monuments and singling out weary crossroads settled his concern.
As was customary for the nobles of the great houses of Elba, warriors of her stature were practically guaranteed to be awakened by the elemental gods. It was as if the gods also took into account their family and not just their individual potential when deciding if they would awaken their nucleus.
As far as Jin was concerned, the difference between the nobles and commoners on Elba went far beyond the financial difference. The question of being able to finance the pilgrimage to Sanctum was the obvious part for him, however, the nobles seemed to be much more likely to awaken the elemental powers. In the Fenathur House alone, according to Alaeria, seven of her nine family members were able to harvest the elemental through the Hall of Trial; one of them—her younger sibling— was still a toddler and hope remained that one day he too shall be worthy of Sanctum.
"So many members of your House are able to harvest the elemental. That's remarkable but it irks me, is there a higher potential found in noble blood?"
Alaeria smirked, "Is there anything more powerful than names? They all but drive the elemental through sheer will. To empower the revered into godhood is to give strength to what they stood for."
Clouds flickered overhead as Jin feigned understanding with a shrug. With every step he took, the grassy plains were starting to give way to alluring wilderness. His honey eyes shimmered in between the rays of light which burst through the vegetation.
“It is my understanding, however that gods choose to awaken the elemental more often on nobles because of their higher potential. Most noble houses have been arranging marriages with those with legacy shrouded in potential for hundreds of years. Which in the end makes it more likely for those with a strong heritage to climb the Nine Steps further. You stand witness to the power of blood Jin, my vision is the living proof.”
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"They are very pretty."
“ I am 20 of age, relatively too mature for your advances I'm afraid.”
“Come on, you’re reading too much into it. I’m not flirting, I’m merely stating the truth.”
Suddenly from the tattered cliff where they stood a golden chariot could be seen. Quickly ducking behind the dense vegetation on the peak they looked at each other.
"There." She called for Jin's attention while they crouched down.
"Are we sure that's it?" Jin whispered back still in doubt.
"You see it now?"
Pointing to the base of the mountain, where the carriage was heading, he saw it. In the front section of the carriage, ropes were tied to a figure covered in brown. The color was similar to what Jin had chased hours before, but they were too far away to confirm it.
"We cannot be certain from our position." Jin said.
“Attacking civilians would certainly be punishable harshly once we come back to Sanctum. We must approach it with caution.”
Using the trees and bushes that surrounded the tattered paths, they slowly approached. Even though they needed to be silent, they couldn't waste much time as the carriage would soon cross the road they were on. Upon reaching the base of the hilltop, they waited. On the horizon a shadow could be seen and the sound of footsteps could be heard at last; not the sound of horses as Jin hoped to hear. In fact there could hardly be said anything was common in such a sight.
And that's when he realized. Color wasn't the only point that had affirmed their theory. Now looking at that distance, he realized that the ropes that bound the hooded animal were not tied as they would normally be on caravan carriages. They were, however, being pulled by the beast's own grip. And on its fingers, a detail was noticed by the pair crouched low. The animal's gnarly hand was hairy, and at the fingertips were elongated nails, almost larger than Jin's own fingers in size. Five fingers, but only four nails on the creature's left arm. That discerning detail yielded all the required knowledge. And so the time had come.
The carriage was perpendicular to the duo when the attack signal was given. Leaping out of the shadows towards the carriage, a horizontal cut was made. The steel blade gleamed with the sun's reflection and descended like a deluge of force. And with the surprise, the coordinated attack of Alaeria and Jin had begun. For Ulfrik, it had all happened so quickly. And just as the blade was about to hit him, he realized his old wounds were too much. As his arm didn't obey to block the incoming end. Swishing steel burst through painting the soil a blistering red. Dumbfounded, Ulfrik turned his head back to his arm only to realize his hand was missing.
Acting on pure shock and impulse of rage, Ulfrik backed away as fast as he could. He couldn’t afford glancing down to be sure how much he bled. Though before the throbbing pain could be felt, blood began to flow from his right side. In his fur, a dense fluid could be felt seeping through the thick bristle.
In a matter of seconds, no one else looking at him could tell he was wearing a brown robe, for all that cloth was stained through injury. Holding his severed arm clamped tightly to his chest, he frowned at the man who was pointing his sword at him.
"Why did you attack my brother?" Jin angrily asked.
Ulfrik was about to respond, but it looked like they weren't interested in hearing him. The ground suddenly began to shake; around him, hands started to emerge from the ground, breaking through the earth and climbing into the realm of the living.