Clop! Clop! Clop!
There was nothing but the sound of the wagon being rolled along by the two horses on the dirt road, a bird chirping here or there, and some grasshoppers in the fields they were traveling through. The twin suns beamed down onto Rai and Jin as they sat in comfortable silence on their way to Acies. The suns’ light shined off Rai’s long black hair that was tied back into a ponytail, and Jin’s head was covered with a straw hat.
It was peaceful.
Rai broke the silence with a question that he’d thought about asking for the last hour, “Why do we have to stay in Acies for the next three days? Normally we just take the crops, stay the night at Bort’s, then go back home the next day. Also, didn’t you and mum go just a few days ago?”
Jin didn’t take his eyes off the road, even though it was completely empty, “We went before for unofficial business. Me and you are going now for official business.”
Rai scratched his head, “That... doesn’t help.” He thought hard about how to get Jin to explain what exactly they were going to do for the extra day. He wanted to get back home and experiment more with magic and swordsmanship.
As if he could sense Rai’s frustration at his non-answer, Jin sighed softly, “We went a few days ago to sort something out. You’re too young to have to worry about that sort of thing, so there’s no point trying to explain it. This time, we have to sell the harvest, like we usually do. The extra day is because I’m going to meet an old friend who’s passing through the town.”
Sometimes he spoke in riddles, and sometimes he gave more information than Rai even asked for. However, Rai was glad that Jin explained it. Even if it meant he couldn’t go home when he wanted.
Since it was going to be a long journey, Rai decided to make the most of it. He practiced what he'd learned earlier in the week with his Aunt Elly. Simply conjuring the elements using mana was too simple though, so he tried to conjure two elements at once, with one in either hand.
It took the majority of the journey, but Rai managed to flicker a flame to life in his right hand, and create a ball of water in his left hand. Compared to the first manifestations of the elements he’d conjured; these were far less crude. Rai was happy with his progress, so he decided to rest for the rest of the journey.
About an hour after, Jin shook Rai awake. Rai groggily opened his eyes. The suns light was fading. It's already evening?
Jin cleared his throat as the horses slowed down. The two of them laid their eyes upon the stout and stocky gatekeeper, Narthir. He was the one thing in between them and Acies.
Narthir eyed the cart that trailed behind the horses. He nodded satisfactorily, “Lookin’ like a big ol’haul dis month, ‘ey old man.”
Jin frowned at the man, “How am I the old man? You’re older than me, oaf of a keeper.”
Narthir let out a phlegmy chuckle, followed by him spitting on the ground next to him. “Aye, ye’ll do well tae respect yer elder’en. Go on. Get going.” Narthir waved with his spear, which was the signal for the gates to open.
A rattling metal sound came from the relatively large iron gates. After a moment, they lifted up. A loud clunk echoed as they opened as far as they could.
Jin thanked Narthir as he guided the horses through the gate.
The sound of chains falling came from behind them as the gate closed. There was still a little bit of open ground to travel before they were officially in the town, which gave Rai the time to ask what was on his mind. Rai looked back at the gate, “Why’s he always so weird?”
“That’s just how he is Rai, the more people you meet the more you’ll realise everyone has their own little quirks and mannerisms. Narthir is just as weird as anyone else. When you grow up, you'll learn that it takes all sorts to make the world an interesting place.”
Rai looked at Jin with a look that made Jin think the boy was far older than his age suggested. But then Rai blew a raspberry at Jin, which reminded him that Rai was still just a child. He chuckled as he messed with Rai's hair.
After a few minutes of riding, the familiar sight of the town of Acies graced Rai’s view. This was the only place in the world he was familiar with, other than his home and farm. Rai felt a familiarity as he watched the wooden houses pass him by. He watched the children playing on the side of the stony roads. They seemed to be throwing around some kinds of marbles. Rai wanted to play, but he was here on business, like Jin said. He'd made friendships with some of the townsfolk through his visits with Jin and his mum to deliver their crops. If they weren't here to deliver anything, then Rai would've probably joined the other kids and played with them. In a way, Acies was like a second home to him.
Soon after passing through the residential area, they entered the commercial area of the town. This was where the restaurants, inns, taverns, and Hunters’ guild were. Acies was the border town of Mount Udra, so many hunters would travel and rest here before they left the border to go on their hunts or adventures in the lands between the Clan regions. Rai always enjoyed talking to the adventurers and hunters, listening to their tales, and asking them about their lives. He’d built up a fantasy of what being an adventurer would be like. Vivid images of Rai running through ruins and dungeons, and hunting deadly creatures filled his mind. Even though his mum probably wouldn't approve of it, Rai really wanted to try adventuring when he was older.
They came to Townsend Inn soon after entering the commercial area. The day’s travel left the twin suns on the horizon. Daylight was quickly dimming. The two of them parked the wagon and the two horses who dragged it along just outside Townsend. Jin called an assistant from inside to start offloading the wagon. After the assistant began offloading the wagon, Rai and Jin went inside.
Rai loved coming to the Inn. He was met with the loud sounds of glasses clanging, people talking, and food being devoured. No matter how many times he’d been to Townsend, this sensation always seemed to hit him.
Jin dragged the boy out of his stupor, and took him along to meet Bort. He was probably in his office towards the back of the Inn.
Jin knocked on the door. A growly, frustrated, voice came from inside, “Come in.” Jin opened the door.
Bort forced his gaze away from the documents on his desk to look at the pair who just walked in. He hung his head and sighed, “Already?”
Jin smirked at him, “We had a lucky break with the weather and soil conditions. Consider it a bonus harvest.”
Bort leaned back in his chair, “Well that’s great, but we ain’t finished with the last harvest yet, there’s still about 20% of it left in storage.”
Jin offered a solution, “You can sell what you can’t use to the other restaurants or inns down the road. The deal you made with Reiki doesn’t stop you from doing that,” he winked.
Rubbing his temples, Bort thought for a moment. “Fine, I’ll do that. No word of it to Reiki though.”
Jin chuckled, "I was about to say the same thing."
Rai was completely zoned out and could only think about his lightning experiment, so the fact that Jin and Bort were dealing behind his mother’s back simply flew over his head.
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After a moment of silence, Jin narrowed his eyes at Bort, “That guy... Is he really going to pass through soon?”
It took a second, but Bort soon realised what Jin was asking. He kept his voice down, “Aye, he’ll be staying here tomorrow night. But... Jin. After last time, I can’t have ye-”
Jin waved away Bort's concerns, “I know. We won’t fight this time. Last time was his fault anyway, I don’t understand why these Aspects always want to fight me when they see me, but I promise I won’t fight back this time.” Jin thought back to Rai’s father having the same reaction to seeing him for the first time.
Rai was brought back to reality after hearing Jin mention an Aspect, “WHAT?! An Aspect?! Here? Is it the Warden? But then Aunt Elly would be here... wait, which Aspect is coming? YOU KNOW AN ASPECT?!” The onslaught of questions rolled off Rai’s tongue.
Jin sighed. He ruffled Rai's hair, "Keep it quiet will you? I don't want the whole world knowing."
"Oh, sorry!"
Bort reassured the child, “Relax boy, yer grandpa here simply has an air about him, I doubt he’s really involved with any Aspects. They just seem to be... fascinated with him.”
Knowing that wouldn’t be enough to sate Rai’s curiosity, Jin kneeled beside Rai, “I’ll explain it to you later Rai, for now you’ll just have to wait and see how things go, alright?” He hoped to save the questions for later now that he knew for sure. It’d been years since he met the Deceiver, the Aspect that governs the Underworld. If he’s coming here, then that explains why Elira was on edge. Something’s going down in Aurum.
Rai was blown away, and had many questions he wanted to ask. But Jin had made it clear that now was not the time. Rai would follow those wishes. He made a zipping gesture against his mouth, "My lips are sealed!"
"Thanks kiddo." Jin stood back up and turned to Bort, "About the harvest. Do we have a deal?"
Bort scratched his head, “... Alright fine. As for yer payment, will the usual suffice?”
“Yeah, it’ll do. The harvest isn’t larger, just earlier than usual. We’ll need a room for an extra night though.”
“Aye I’ll cover it, ye know ye’ll always have a place to stay here.”
“Then we’ll head to the room now, it’s getting late. The horses will be fine in the stables?”
Bort shooed them off, “Yes yes, have some faith in this old man will ye. I’ll send yer supper up in a while, get some rest lads.”
Jin bowed, “Thanks Bort, I’ll see you in the morning.” He dragged Rai up to the room by his arm, "C'mon. We'll need some sleep after that long journey."
Rai looked up at his grandad, "Okay."
He'd practically allowed himself to be dragged upstairs as questions kept popping up in his head. Jin knows an Aspect? Multiple Aspects? He’s just a farmer though. Did he really fight one? That's so COOL! Aunt Elly told me that Aspects are some of the strongest people in the world. Jin's so cool. Rai smiled happily as he drifted off to sleep.
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Awake and showered, Rai left their lodging in the upstairs of Townsend. He paused as he went downstairs. The atmosphere of the inn was completely different in the morning compared to how it was last night. When they arrived, the inn was full of energy with hunters and adventurers regaling their escapades amongst one another. The smell of booze and meat was concentrated in the air at night. But the smells now were nothing but teas and herbs. Rai knew that these were things that people would consume to boost their energy for the day. There were far less people in the inn now than there were last night.
Rai noted the difference in species that most people seemed to disregard when they interacted with one another. He liked that the town was so friendly to mostly everyone, which Aunt Elly said wasn’t true for every Clan. He also knew that some of the villagers didn't like his aunt, which Rai didn't understand. He liked his aunt, so surely everyone else should as well.
Jin walked past Rai as he went down the stairs, “Are you just gonna stand there forever? Come, let’s eat. I have some things to do in town before he arrives so you should get your fill.”
Rai followed Jin down the stairs into the quiet and peaceful inn. He still had some lingering curiosity about the Aspect from the night prior, but he didn't worry about it right now.
Bort noticed the two of them walking down the stairs. He broke the quiet peace by shouting from across the room, “Mornin’ lads! Let’s get ye filled up shall we.” He took a very deep breath, enlarging his stomach further than Rai thought was physically possible. Jin covered Rai's ears. After a moment, Bort yelled, “OI DOROTHY!”
“THE FOCK DAE YE WANT YE OLD COOT!”
“PREP SOME LIZARD TAIL SOUP WILL YA!”
Her tone changed. Lizard tail soup? We normally save that for the VIPs. She popped her stout, bearded head through the door to see who these ‘important’ people were.
Dorothy noticed the tiny human that was just about her height. He stood next to a big human that was a lot taller than her. She decided to focus her attention on the child. Dorothy spoke in a motherly voice that didn’t quite suit her appearance, “Oooohhh if it ain’t little ol’Rai. An’ big ol’Jin. Pleasure to see ya.” The bearded female dwarf smiled at the little boy after what felt like ages, even though it had realistically only been a few months. Time moves fast when you work as a chef.
Jin nodded at her, which was his kind of silent greeting.
Rai waved at her, "Hey Dorothy! Your beard is longer this time!"
Dorothy ran her hands through her beard, "Am glad ye noticed, little one! With that kinda attention tae detail, women'll be all over ye when yer older." She winked at Rai, "Right. I'll get yer soup ready for ye, won't be too long!" She went back into the kitchen to get the lizard tail soup ready.
Bort watched as Dorothy left to go back into the kitchen, “She’s a beaut, but that temper of hers will prolly be the death o’me.”
Jin shrugged as he went to sit down. Rai followed suit.
After a short while, Dorothy brought out the lizard tail soup along with some herbal tea to help reset the palate after they finished up with their soup. “Hope ye enjoy now.”
Jin smiled at her, “Thank you Dorothy.”
Rai copied him, "Thank you Dorothy."
Dorothy smiled at them before she went back into the kitchen. The two of them began devouring their lizard tail soup.
After the meal, Rai and Jin felt refreshed and ready to get to work on what Jin had planned. Rai yanked Jin's robe sleeve, “What do we have to do? I don’t get why you need to do anything before you meet him anyway.”
Jin noticed Rai's hair was messed up. He pulled a hairband out of his pocket kneeled down behind Rai to tie his hair into a ponytail, “Once you have old friends of your own, you’ll understand. I just felt like getting a few things for him.”
After a minute, Jin had tied Rai's hair and they were ready to go.
As they were leaving the inn to go into the commercial district, Jin looked around, "Not many people out today. Suppose that's-"
He froze.
Jin's wolf-like amber eyes were wide open, “Never mind. I don't think we'll have time to do what I wanted.” He softly whispered.
Rai stared at him with nothing but confusion.
That confusion wouldn't last long.
Quickly after Jin's words, Rai felt a sensation that he'd never experienced before. It felt like there was a force pulling his body down into the ground. The air so was thick and murky that even breathing felt difficult. It was all Rai could do to hold his footing. What is this?! How is Jin fine right now?!
At this point he was more angry and less surprised that Jin was seemingly fine. However, past Jin's stoic demeanour, Rai could see his eyes were wide open in concentration.
In an instant, Jin’s left hand raised in defence, blocking a punch that came from a black coated person with red glowing eyes who... flew straight towards him.
The shockwave that followed blew Rai multiple yards to the side. He managed to roll and get back to his feet. After getting his bearings, Rai turned his attention to the fight.
His eyes were too slow. They were too fast.
Even while imbuing mana into his eyes, Rai could only see a flurry of blows. Jin was blocking all of them. Each block resulted in a shockwave that shook the ground.
A loud voice came from behind the red-eyed fiend, “DAD!”
The fighting stopped.
The person with glowing red eyes halted mid-punch.
The voice started again. It sounded like it was scolding the person who attacked Jin, “Can you PLEASE stop picking on random people who you think look strong?” A girl around Rai’s age with red eyes and red hair, wearing a regal looking black and red outfit, walked over to the black coated fighter and wagged her finger at him. She’s scolding him? That guy who caused all of that? Who are these people?! Rai decided to stop thinking about the questions and start asking them.
Rai walked towards Jin and the coated figure, who seemed to have been told off by the girl. It looked like the unknown individual simply ignored his daughter’s scolding. He then heard the coated figure speak in a sombre tone, “Unscathed, just like last time.”
Jin rolled his eyes, saying with a sarcastic tone, “All you Aspects are the same, you just love to fight, fight, and fight.”
Rai's eyes widened. He slowly turned to the coated figure. He's... the Aspect?
The coated figure – whose red hair, red eyes, and pale skin were now in Rai's sight – frowned, “You’re telling me I’m not the first Aspect who picked a fight with you? And here I thought I was special.” The man digressed as he held out a hand, which was met by Jin’s, “I’m glad the Sword Dancer is still as monstrously strong as he used to be.”
Both Rai and the girl were confused as they looked at their guardians.
Jin patted Rai on the shoulder, “Rai, this is Kallad. The Aspect of Deception, the Deceiver.”
Kallad pointed at Jin, “Sin, this is Jin. The Sword Dancer, the greatest fighter in all of Zenith.”
Rai and Sin looked at the people pointed out by their guardians, then at each other, then back at their respective guardians.
“WHAT?!” they shouted in unison.