I took the offered materials, of course.

What other choice did I have? It’s not like I was going to turn down the path to what I had actually been fine with visiting Kawamara for.

Of course, I wasn't stupid enough to promise anything to Masayuki, of course. All I told the surprisingly understanding official was that, if we had the means and the time, we would tentatively investigate on behalf of the court.

I was…a little worried that my companions wouldn’t be interested in following me to Goryuen, but not that much. I had already spoken to everyone, including Venix and Bella before she had left, about how I was looking for more of the bunkers. Everyone had agreed to help me search for one, in one way or another.

That agreement hadn’t…quite involved following me into the heart of the most dangerous island in Kawamara. But it’s not like they were obliged to follow me. Lord Ashiwara had only told me that my companions were permitted to follow me there, not required. If I needed to, I would be fine with venturing onto the island by myself.

But, uh.

I really hoped they would come.

……………………………………………….

I needn’t have worried.

When I got back to the inn, I crashed in my room right away, without even looking over my new writ or the map. The next morning, I found my companions down in the dining room, sitting around the table that we normally did when everyone was in town. After greeting everyone, we all sat down to enjoy our breakfast together. It was only after Tarus had cleared the horizon and we were done that I brought up the potential expedition.

“Yeah, sure,” Azarus said immediately, not even looking up from his plate. It had taken the dwarf a while to get used to the lighter fare that the Kawamarans tended to eat for breakfast, as well as their utensils. He hadn’t been used to the largely pescatarian meals, accompanied by rice and soups. But eventually, even the fat-fingered dwarf had begun to enjoy it for what it was. “I’m up fer it.”

Liora nodded placidly my way, her mug of steaming green tea held closely to her lips. The Gnoll woman was, I’d found, even quieter in the mornings than she normally was.

Renauld seemed the most enthusiastic about the plan, surprisingly. His furry ears perked up, and he grinned at me with cheeks stuffed with rice. Hurriedly, he washed it down with his own tea and then nodded rapidly. “Hells yes, I’ll come. I already told you that I don’t want to leave just yet. This is just an excuse to keep kicking around Kawamara, as far as I’m concerned.”

I blinked slowly at the immediate agreement I’d received from my companions. A small smile grew on my face, even as I felt lighter from their friendship. “It’s not likely to be easy,” I said teasingly. “This place is supposed to be the most dangerous isle in the country.”

Azarus looked up then and shrugged. “What else is new?” He asked, almost sounding bored. “Ain’t like any of us are strangers to danger.”

Renauld looked like he wanted to cheer at the dwarf’s response, but wilted at the sharp look the proprietress sent him from across the dining room. Still, he rallied to hold out one furry palm for Azarus to slap.

Said dwarf didn’t even look like he noticed, causing the Gnoll man to droop again.

“If the region is such a danger,” Liora piped in unexpectedly, voice still roughened from sleep. “Then we should wait for our other companions to return. We shall need the might of Venix at the very least, if we are to brave this wilderness.”

I furrowed my brow, but it was Renauld who spoke first. He tapped his chin thoughtfully for a moment. “Yeah, that’s reasonable. But…where is Bella?” He asked aloud. “She’s not normally gone this long. Shouldn’t she have been back last week?”

I squirmed in my seat a little, hoping none of them noticed. But alas, nothing much escaped Liora. Her lips quirked slightly. “Perhaps you should ask Nathan that question,” She asked teasingly.

Renauld’s eyes locked on me, while Azarus looked up curiously from his meal. I shot Liora a dirty look which she ignored in favor of her tea. “Just a…small disagreement,” I said awkwardly. “Nothing to worry about. She’ll show up when she wants to. Anyway!” I said, desperately changing the subject. “I think Venix at the very least is getting back soon. We can make some plans to depart before then, but Liora’s right. We’ll need him.”

Azarus finally finished his oversized (dwarf-sized?) breakfast, and abruptly stood up from the floor table. At our curious looks, he shrugged. “I’m gonna go buy some more supplies,” He grunted. “Don’t need much, though. Ain’t like I’ve even unpacked from the hunt.”

A flash of guilt suddenly hit me, and I stood up to join him. “We can put this off for a while if you guys want,” I said just loud enough for my friends to hear. I didn’t want to bother any of the other patrons. “Azarus is right…you guys just got back. You deserve a bit of rest.”

I was a bit…surprised at he blank, non-understanding looks I was fixed with by all of them. Even the normally taciturn Liora looked puzzled.

Renauld tilted his head in his confusion. “I don’t get it,” He said bluntly, before looking over at Liora. She shrugged at his regard.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Meanwhile, realization flashed over Azarus’s bearded face. He rolled his eyes at me. “Well, this ain’t happened in a while,” He said, a bit exasperated. He shook his head before locking eyes with me. “Nate, don’t worry about it. This is one of those things ya don’t understand ‘cause you’re not from around here.”

I almost wanted to wince at the heavy emphasis he put on those words. As always, Azarus was probably the worst person I knew at subterfuge of any kind. But…I…

I think I understood what he meant.

Judging by the looks that graced Renauld’s and Liora’s faces, I think they did too.

Renauld chuckled and smirked at me. “Nate, if you have the chance to go out and get some levels? You always take it.”

“He is correct,” Liora said, nodding slightly. “While this ‘Goryuen’ might be dangerous, it presents an alluring opportunity. To deny such an opportunity…it is almost unthinkable in our society.”

“It doesn’t matter that we just got back,” Azarus said with finality. “If we can go, we go. It’s especially what yer supposed ta do when yer young. Which we are.”

He was right about that. I don’t think anyone at this table was over the age of like, twenty-eight at the latest.

Practically infants in the context of the extended life of Magi and Cultivators.

I relaxed and held up my hands in surrender. “Okay, okay,” I chuckled. “I get the point. You’re all raring and ready to go. I surrender.”

Azarus nodded at me as the other two started to gather themselves as well. “Alright then. Venix shouldn’t be gone fer much longer, and when he gets back, we’ll hit the road. As fer Bella?” The dwarf rolled his eyes. “Who knows when that woman will get back. No reason ta wait up fer her.”

I nodded at that, a little relieved despite myself.

Sounded like a plan to me.

………………………………………………..

We split up after that, each of us with our own particular preparations that needed to be done for another expedition. While Azarus was correct in saying that Venix should be back ‘soon’, in reality that meant ‘anytime in the next week’. The contracts that the Antium man had been taking had him ranging far and wide across the breadth of the Kawamaran isles, and we had no way to track or contact him. I'd...had thoughts about recreating the coin messaging system of the Nocturne Division, and possibly even improving on it. But that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

For myself, there were a couple of things I had to do. I was low on both potions and the herbs needed to brew them, so I needed to pick up some more. I’d used up the last of what I had on my trip with the Oni Hunters. I’d get started on those potions later tonight, when I intended to make enough for both myself and all of my companions.

I’d actually found Kawamaran Alchemy and herb lore to be refreshingly different. The disciplines that I’d learned under Grey had been distinctly Herztalian, and I was discovering that was only one facet of the art. Ingredients were different here, the methodology was different here, and even the attitude towards the process was different. Hell, even the end product was different.

Here, liquid potions weren’t quite as common as pills were. Bottled potions like what I was used to were considered an unfinished product. In the Kawamaran discipline, once you had brewed the actual potion itself, they used what they called a ‘pill furnace’ to condense and concentrate it down to a solid form. It was quite practical, really.

However, in my own practice, I’d found it wasn’t without its drawbacks.

What you gained in convenience and portability, you lost in effect. No matter how strong the base potion had been, the pill form would never be as potent as the liquid potion. The condensation process tended to essentially 'boil' off some of the component Aether of the desired effect. It was a trade-off, essentially.

While I didn’t need many of the actual techniques, I’d long since found I could translate them into usage with Aetherial Melding. Certain ingredients in certain quantities and at specific times still needed to be added to the astralized product in order to form the needed mix though. With a little experimentation, I’d discovered that I could replicate the condensing effect of a pill furnace in order to produce my own pills.

Thank God I'd done those experiments outside of the inn, in a rented Alchemy lab. Some of my failures had been...a bit explosive.

These days, I liked to bring a mix of both pills and liquids with me. I’d brew up plenty of both later that night.

It didn’t take me long to pick up everything I needed, which gave me plenty of time for my second errand of the day.

This one, I was looking forward to much more than the brewing.

Before long, I found myself standing at the open gates of a comparatively small temple, deep into the heart of Hinaga. They were set at the entrance into a meticulously tended garden valley, and painted in rich greens and natural golds. Far down in the path, I could see the nearly rustic temple itself, its meager three stories and simple shingled roofs a far cry from the other temples that dominated the skyline of Hinaga.

This was actually the smallest one here in the actual temple district of the city. Surrounding the humble gates of my destination were many temples that were much, much larger, and much, much grander than my destination. Their roofs and arches rose up to fill the skylines, each of them grander than the last, and each a representation of the Imperial court's favor. I’d been shocked to find that even the Gyreites had a temple here in Hinaga, constructed in a local style, but still in the same golden Rorician sandstone.

But that wasn’t where I’d come.

You see, I’d discovered something interesting about the religious beliefs of the Kawamarans. While they acknowledged the necessity of the Gyreites, they didn’t pray to the Gyre in much the way mainlanders did.

No, instead they revered the Great Spirits.

The same ones that had aided me against Rhazal.

And they were important.

You see, the Kawamarans didn’t have Grey’s big fancy school to teach their Classers how to become Magi and Cultivators. What they had were the temples. It was the monks of the Spirit temples that taught Magic and Cultivation to those who were interested. It wasn’t a perfect system, of course. There were only so many monks who were willing to teach prospective students, since it was still a religious calling. Formal education in those disciplines was thus rare in the populace, and those who were interested instead joined the priesthood. What this led to was a disproportionate amount of Classers who leaned into their Status, only occasionally picking up Arts or Spells past the first breakpoint. They weren’t any less deadly for it, of course.

But it had led to an almost Primalist revival in the country, after those Soul warriors Ely had told me about from before the Initialization. The refinement of the Status, and the rejection of Mind and Body in favor of the Soul, was viewed as more ‘pure’.

Not me, though. I was all about learning some Magic.

Which had led me to this specific temple, in this small corner of the district.

This…was the temple to Anima, the least favored of the Great Spirits in Kawamaran society.

And where I had chosen to learn the basics of Magic.

Sorry, Grey.

I had just been too excited.