Hours later, I was back in the tavern again. It was early morning at this point after mine and Azarus’s impromptu expedition. By now, it was very early in the morning. Our group had left after exhausting our options with the computer down below and then broken up to see to our preparations for the trip. Before we'd left though, I'd sealed the entrance to the bunker again at Grey's request. Thankfully, the doors still responded to my touch despite their state of repair. Grey didn't want anyone snooping down below and unintentionally wrecking anything. After that, I’d made a brief detour to grab my bag from the tower before retreating back to the tavern, which also apparently functioned as an inn. I’d wanted to be alone with my thoughts and this place was pretty much deserted at this hour. Hell, it’s not like I would have been able to sleep after what I’d learned, so I’d decided to just stay up.

After I had found out that, whoever had built those bunkers had something to do with Precursors, I’d told my companions what I’d found. Just like me, they hadn’t known what to think. Azarus and Sylvia had been confused, but sympathetic, while Venix had just given me a considering look.

It’s funny, that had been the point where I had realized we’d never explicitly told him that I was a Precursor. He’d just kind of…trailed along in the background and found out from our conversations. I didn’t make it a habit to go around talking about what I was, but he seemed to be pretty damn loyal to Grey. I figured it was fine.

But Grey?

When I’d told Grey about being listed in the Records, his gaze had sharpened. I think, perhaps more than I did, Grey understood that what I’d found had been important.

“Nathan,” He’d said to me, laying a hand on my shoulder. “Right now, we have more important matters than to dive into this mystery. However, as both your friend and mentor, I promise you. Once the war has been settled, we’ll get to the bottom of this.”

Grey’s promise had, and still did, filled me with a confusing mix of emotions. On one hand, I’d been resolved for some time now to build a new life for myself here on Vereden. Despite having been literally enslaved not too long ago, I felt that I was in a good position to do so. I was friends and allies with some powerful and influential people, one of whom had decided to take me on as an apprentice. Call it cowardly, but I’d been reluctant to even consider the idea of pursuing a way home to Earth. I was unsure if there was even anything waiting for me back there.

On the other hand…

There was an undeniable part of me that was furious that I’d ever been stolen from my home in the first place. I may have made my peace with the idea of a new life, but I wanted answers about the death of my old one. In a way, I wanted some justice or closure or I don’t fucking know. The words I’d seen projected on that screen in those ruins had thrown me out of whack.

I sighed for the umpteenth time, staring down into the mug of water I’d gotten for myself. Like I’d said, it was dead in here. In fact, there wasn’t even anyone manning the bar, nor were there any lights on in the tavern. I, uh, I don’t even think I was even supposed to be in here. I’d kind of snuck in.

I may have approached Sylvia during our travels about the gaps in my stealth training. I perhaps had asked her to teach me some lockpicking. I can neither confirm nor deny that I’d picked the lock on the tavern to get into it.

Oh, whatever. I’d left a few coins on the counter for the trouble. I’d been given a small stipend as Grey’s apprentice to use in town. I hadn’t had much use for it, considering how helpful the townspeople had been once they’d discovered I was Grey’s newest apprentice. But it was the thought that counted.

As we’d all been leaving the ruin, Grey had told me that our wagon for the trip had been prepared. We were leaving at first light, which…wasn’t far away. In fact, I could see green light starting to creep through the slats in the wooden window coverings, signaling the arrival of Tarus. I stood up, draining my mug and grabbing my bag. I deposited the mug on the counter next to a few coins and left the tavern for the tower.

……………………………………..

Once I’d reached the tower, I entered into it in order to go pick up Fade. The wolf was smart enough to have sought out Walter overnight as a kind of farewell for both of them, since Fade would be coming with me, but Walter wouldn’t. Collecting my pup, I said my goodbyes to Walter. He seemed to be settling in fine. Lately, I’d seen him acting as a kind of liaison with the Church of the Gyre. I think he was getting his own comfort from religion, after his experiences.

If that was working, more power to him.

Exiting the tower I was directed around the back of it by a guard. There, I was unsurprised to find a wagon waiting, with a few familiar faces alongside it. Grey and Marshal Leopold were locked in conversation, while Sylvia was sitting on a nearby crate, idly toying with a dagger. Not wanting to interrupt Grey, I gave him a wide berth as I approached the wagon. This one had a completely closed-off back, so I opened the wooden door and peered inside. It wasn’t too packed with junk, not like Grens. To be fair though, we had been caring for dozens of people and needed all that junk. Instead, this seemed more outfitted with habitation in mind. It even had actual bunks. There were still bags and crates inside, they were just shoved off to the corners. I deposited my bag with the other ones.

Once I was done, I walked over to Sylvia and sat next to her. She greeted me with a nod which I returned. Fade settled down at the base of the crate and promptly decided to take an impromptu nap.

“So, just us so far?” I asked her in a low voice.

My Sculpted friend nodded slightly. “Yes. Venix is fetching the horses, while I believe Azarus is gathering some additional supplies.”

I looked over to the pair of older men speaking. Grey noticed me and nodded in acknowledgment, causing the Marshal to turn slightly to look at me speculatively. I tried to pretend that I didn’t find the huge, armored man intimidating. Man, did that guy wear anything else? I’d never seen him out of his blood-red plate.

I furrowed my brow slightly, remembering something. I leaned in closer to Sylvia. “Didn’t Grey say there was going to be someone else coming? A healer, maybe that Preceptor?”

Sylvia hummed. “Yes, but Preceptor Eduard was unable to accompany us. Instead, Father found someone else. Someone who could function as both a representative of the Uprising and as a healer. You’ve even seen them, but I don’t believe you’ve been introduced.”

“Who?” I asked her.

She lazily lifted an arm to point to the entrance of the tower's backyard. “See for yourself.”

I followed her finger to find that a somewhat familiar Sculpted was approaching the wagon. It was that gold one that had been shouting about their leader being abducted during the first war council. Aurum, I think his name had been. He was carrying a pack and wearing a set of robes in the colors of the Uprising, as well as a staff in his right hand.

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I was almost tempted to Observe him to see if he was the real deal, but I wasn’t an asshole. I was a good boy who was adapting to Veredenese social customs, yes I was.

I watched as he deposited his bag into the back of the wagon before turning around and catching sight of us. Aurum skirted around Grey and the Marshal to approach Sylvia and me. When he reached us, I was surprised when the golden-forged Sculpted bowed his head in Sylvia’s direction. “Firstborn,” He said, far more respectfully than I remember him being.

Sylvia let out an audible exasperated sigh at the title. “Aurum, please. If we’re going to be on the same mission together, I would appreciate it if you would drop that.”

Aurum raised his shiny bald head, reflecting the sunlight into my eyes for a moment. The plates on his face articulated against each other for a moment in indecision before he nodded. “If you say so…Miss Sylvia.”

Sylvia sighed again.

At that he turned to me and smiled widely, revealing that even his teeth seemed to be pure gold. “And you! You’re the Headmaster's new apprentice, ain’t ya?” He shifted his staff to his left hand and thrust his now-empty right in my direction.

“Ah,” I said, startled. I reached out and took his hand, leading the Sculpted man to enthusiastically shake it. I let go, trying to discreetly shake some feeling back into it. For a healer, he sure had a strong grip. Must be because the guy was made of solid metal. “Yeah, I am. Nathan Hart, nice to meet you.”

“Same here!” He said brightly. “Names Aurum! The Headmaster approached me for his rescue mission, and I was more than happy to come with! I’ll be acting as your assigned healer.”

Well, he was certainly friendly. I guess it had just been passion or something that had caused him to interrupt the council a few days ago. He seemed the type. Still, I was interested in him for another reason.

I leaned forward on the crate. “So, you’re a healer?” I asked, interested. “How does that work? Do you have healing skills? Are you a Mage or a Cultivator?” Ever since I’d learned about how potent healing magic was, I’d been curious about it. I’d wanted to talk to the Preceptor about it during our trip to Hollow Hill, but the man had been busy twenty-four-seven. I’d just never gotten the chance.

“Oh, don’t have healers where you’re from, do they?” Aurum asked curiously. At my shrug, he smiled widely. “That’s fine, I don’t mind talking about it! I’m actually a Mage, and that’s where I get my healing spells from! There are Cultivator healers, but they’re kinda funky. For me, it’s mostly about staying in the back and protecting people from harm. You don’t need to worry, with me you’re gonna be a-ok!” He said, giving me a thumbs up.

I smiled at his attitude despite myself, bemused. “Well, I’m glad you’re with us then. I’m guessing you’re hoping to find…Woodrick, right? At the prison.”

Aurum finally lost his smile at my words. “Yeah,” He said somberly. “I’m pretty sure that some Royal agents nabbed him at the same time they nabbed the kids. I’m really hoping he’s there as well. Me and the other Sculpted,” His eyes flickered over to Sylvia briefly before focusing back on me. “We’ve been kind of lost without both Rick and the Headmaster. Rick is the real brain behind the Sculpted, you know? He’s always been different. Without him, we’ve just been kinda floundering and doing what the Order says.”

I was struck then, with the reminder that the Sculpted were a very, very young people. Even if they might have been constructed any time in the last fifty-ish years, they hadn’t been conscious of that existence. As a whole, most of the Sculpted had only gained full sentience and sapience during the Second Initialization five years ago.

Aurum continued speaking. “He was one of the first to come to. He was fighting for our freedom years before we could even understand what that was.” His face fell. “We all miss him.”

“Well,” I said sympathetically. I couldn’t help but see him as a bit of a child, now. I know he wasn’t, and that even at the time of the initialization, he’d had a maturity level of a teenager. But Aurum specifically just gave me the vibe of someone who was a child at heart. “That’s what we’re hoping too. Nobody that the Loyalists had kidnapped deserved to be held the way they are.” At least, I assumed so.

“Yeah. Yeah!” Aurum nodded enthusiastically. “Well, it was nice meeting you! I’ve got to go finish getting set now, so I’ll see you later! We can talk more then, okay?” At that, the Sculpted man wandered away in the direction of the wagon.

When he was gone, I leaned back on my hands and gave Sylvia a bit of a side-eye. “Firstborn, huh?” I said teasingly.

Sylvia outright groaned. “A title given to me by my Sculpted brothers and sisters. As the first of my people to both be created and gain sapience, I’m given far too much regard, in my opinion. It can get a bit tiring.”

I hummed to myself, amused. However, something else Aurum had said stuck out to me as well. “You know,” I said curiously. “I never asked. How long was it between when you gained sapience and the Second Initialization happened?”

“Four years. Why?” Syliva asked curiously, turning her head to face me.

I laughed slightly. “So that means you’re technically only nine years old?”

Sylvia snorted delicately at my question. “If you count from the moment I became aware, yes. You could just as easily say I’m nearly sixty, if you count the time from when I was created.”

“Sure, sure,” I said, amused. Movement caught my eye at the entrance to the yard, drawing my attention. Both Azarus and Venix were returning at the same time, each with their own cargo. In Azarus’s case, he was carrying a stack of crates taller than he was easily in his arms. Venix meanwhile was leading a team of four massive workhorses by the reins. The two of them seemed to be talking about something.

I hopped down from the crate and wandered over to them. My movement caused Fade’s ears to perk up, followed closely by the wolf itself. As I got closer, my pup on my heels, their conversation stopped. I eyed them curiously, but said nothing about it. Instead, I spoke to Azarus. “Need some help with that?”

Azarus shrugged. “If ya like.”

Activating Sylvan Vigor at around twenty-five percent, I took the top crate from Azarus’s stack. I nearly staggered under the weight before upping my skill to fifty percent. “What the hell do you have in here? Lead bricks?” While I was struggling with the crate, Venix passed me with a nod to attach the horses to the wagon.

Azarus snorted at me. “That one is a portable forge. We don’t all got a fancy skill to do our craftin’ for us. We ain’t got no idea what we’ll need out there, so I’m bringing it with. Rest are just supplies.”

“Whatever man, let's just load them up,” I said to him, waddling my way over to the wagon. Azarus and I loaded the heavy crates into the wagon just fine. It didn’t even creak under the added weight. When we were done, I found that Grey had finished his conversation with the Marshal. Said Marshal had left, leaving my mentor alone. The rest of the group was congregating around him where he stood next to an empty crate. Azarus and I wandered over. Fade settled at our heels, watching the conversation curiously, head tilted.

Grey nodded at us. “Now that we’re all here, this is what we’re going to do.” He pulled out a map from his non-descript woolen robe and unfurled it on top of the crate. He pointed to a spot on the map, below the Barren Forest and slightly eastward. “Currently, we’re here. And our ultimate destination is here.” He said, dragging his finger to point to a small island off of the eastern coast, much farther south than Hollow Hill. “However, in order to get there, we’ll need to go by sea. The Uprising does not actually currently possess any ships that we could use this side of the blockade, which is obviously a problem. I possess one myself, however, it is unfortunately docked at the Academy and of no use to us. Additionally, we cannot use any of the vessels under the control of the few noble houses still able to support us. They cannot reach us, again due to the blockade. The north of Herztal has been entirely cut off from naval support, as they no doubt suspect us to be up here. That leaves us with one solution.”

Grey moved his finger to point to a spot on the east coast, unmarked on the map. “There is a, shall we say, unlicensed town here at this location. It is not strictly speaking a ‘nice’ place. This is the location of Herztal’s largest pirate cove. Marrowmist.”

Azarus snorted in disbelief. “That’s your plan? You’re gonna get a bunch of pirates to take us to Caer Drarrow?”

Grey smirked at him. “It’s not as crazy of a plan as it sounds. I have a certain…agreement with the leadership of the cove. If I lean on them, I have no doubt they’ll lend us a crew for this purpose.”

You know, Grey surprised me sometimes. He wasn’t quite as morally pure as I sometimes thought of him as. The man seemed pretty confident about his plan. His confidence was working to reassure the group, even people that initially seemed unsure like Aurum.

I guess I was going to get to meet some pirates.