12 Tagsibol, 891 ED
Oraw, 14:48
Gorteau Plains, Empire of Tyrman
Skinning and butchering the thunder lion proved to be more of a challenge than I’d expected. For a start, the monster was much heavier than I’d expected, making the simple act of moving it around to retrieve the hide a physically draining effort. Rescue came in the form of Gogo, who’d put the fire together quickly. With her help, I managed to come away with a large amount of untreated hide. It was hot, releasing a steady stream of steam into the air, almost burning us as we handled it. But we got it rolled up nonetheless and carried it over to the fire.
“You’re not interested in the meat?” Gogo asked me, glancing back at the dead and skinned lion. “I’ve never seen one. Is it edible?”
“Even if it is, the meat will be too tough,” I said. “I’m not really interested in the gamey flavor.”
But I did return after depositing the hide to dry by the fire, this time intent on retrieving the beast’s fangs. Its bones would be valuable to some, but I had no ability to easily carry that much. So I focused only on its teeth and claws. Used in potion-making, they provided a powerful boost to electricity, and could even work as an explosive if manipulated properly.
“So,” Gogo said, casting a quick sideways glance at Reiner and the brother warriors sitting by the fire. Reiner was watching the fur with interest, occasionally glancing at where we crouched. “Where you ever going to tell me that you’re an Ancient?”
I hadn’t expected the question, and it gave me a start. I also glanced in the direction of the three we traveled with. I tried to keep my voice casual as possible, hoping Gogo hadn’t noticed my immediate reaction. “Ancient? What do you mean?”
“Oh, come on,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I know your kind is rare, but I’ve seen Ancients before. I know the sound of the language when I hear it.”
I thought about that, then realized what she meant. When I’d used Ancient magic to turn Tempest Surge into its most powerful possible form, I’d shouted the word “Lumaki”. I bit my lip as I thought about that. It was a mistake, sure, but it wasn’t one that I could have foreseen. I’d been comforted by the thought that Gogo couldn’t possibly recognize the Ancient tongue. It was a very well-kept secret, after all.
“I’ve seen the Warden with my own eyes,” Gogo continued, her eyes boring into mine. “I know the feel of an Ancient. When I first met you, I thought there was something interesting about you, even special. I didn’t put it together until I heard you speak the Ancient Tongue.”
I let out a sigh. Was it really so bad that Gogo had made this assumption? After all, she hadn’t figured out what my true identity was. According to the laws of the world, only Ancients could use their language and magicks. So to her knowledge, that’s what I had to be. It was better to reinforce this mistaken assumption rather than try to deny it. The last thing I wanted was for her to dig further.
“I am,” I finally said. “I’d appreciate it if you kept that to yourself, however.”
When I looked up from my task of removing the sharp fang I’d been working on, I saw a slight smirk curling the corner of her mouth. “You haven’t gotten to know me very well if you think that I’d ever do something like that.”
“I haven’t had long enough to get to know you.”
She nodded her head in confirmation of that. “That is true. But you don’t have to worry. I won’t reveal your secret, Tuck.”
Then she let out a low chuckle. “That’s the secret behind your healing, isn’t it? I thought it was a magic that you’d developed on your own or learned from someone who had. But no, it’s your unique trait.”
Another false assumption. I was more than a little certain that it was nothing more than the usual healing rate of Ancients. But, as that was yet another secret, I wouldn’t bother to correct her. Instead, I simply nodded my head. Just then, a thought occurred to me, one that should have appeared much sooner than it had.
“Wait a moment,” I said, looking at her more closely. “You were able to copy that from me. How?”
The smirk on her face grew into a full grin, revealing her sharp teeth. She looked very pleased with herself. “Well, if you must know, it is an Ancient’s power.”
Then, of course, it clicked into place for me. The reason that her power had felt so familiar. Why I hadn’t thought to question it the first time I’d seen her use it. It was a power I was more than familiar with because I’d put quite a bit of time into designing it. I hadn’t created it for her, of course, because I’d had no idea of her existence until I’d met her in person.
“That’s the unique power of the Hunter,” I replied, saying it before she could. “Well, one of his powers.”
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She nodded in agreement, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Yes. My friend, the same one that gave me this coat, told me about an Ancient’s tomb that she’d found. It had been torn open, and the body had been stolen. But a power remained. I went over and took it.”
“That’s how you met Grimr, isn’t it? He sensed that a mortal had gained the power of an Ancient.”
There was a long stretch of silence before she bothered to reply. She stared off into the distance for a long while. “I was so certain he would kill me. His original purpose is to serve the balance, isn’t it?”
I nodded. Privately, I thought I could understand the reason that Grimr had decided against killing the young Beast-Kin that had stumbled upon a power that she couldn’t possibly comprehend. But she had it now. That was the way that it worked with Ancients who died and had their power returned to the world at large. It had happened with Grimr’s elder brother, and now with Menikos the Hunter. The truth of the matter is that it wouldn’t serve the balance at all. Even if Gogo were to die, others could learn the magic now.
“Well, it’s an extraordinary gift,” I commented, wrenching the last fang free of the skull and dropping it onto the grass. “You wield it well, too.”
“Thanks,” she said, looking a bit sheepish for the first time since we’d met. “I wasn’t sure why the Warden didn’t slay me, but I’m grateful he stayed his hand. I suppose all I can do is try not to do anything that would draw his ire.”
We returned to the fireside about half an hour later, ignoring the questioning looks that the trader gave us. I’d rinsed the fangs off with water from my canteen and deposited them into the pouch at my waist. Nearly two pounds worth of fangs and claws. They’d be worth quite a bit, either at the Mage’s Guild or in one of the various apothecaries and potion-makers within the city.
While we were away, the fire had heated considerably, burning through the majority of the first round of logs. There were plenty of red coals to provide a constant heat source now, so I got to work cooking us a decent lunch. Miel Firefang had gifted me an old but serviceable cooking set, and I used it, searing the meat in the pan before adding spices, potatoes, carrots, and a few other things to a pot. It simmered for a bit, then the meat was thrown in as well, and I closed it.
“It already smells divine,” Reiner said, taking in a deep breath through his nose. “I can tell it will be an excellent soup.”
“Stew,” I corrected him, then retrieved a large wooden bowl from the pack, into which I mixed flour, water, and sugar. I kneaded the dough until it formed a dense, sticky dough, then deposited the uncooked loaf into the pile of ash beside the coals of the fire. It would take some time to bake, but I knew from my experience of cooking outdoors plenty of times that it would be ready at the same time as the stew.
We fell into a companionable sort of silence. The after-effects of our battle against the thunder lion had driven Reiner and the heinous act he’d committed from my memory. But as my body was allowed to rest and recover, it came back to me, and I found my eyes drifting to study the brothers each chance I got. I didn’t bother to watch Reiner. For one, he was perceptive, and likely would have noticed. For another, he was much less of a threat than they were.
A slight cough drew my attention to the side, and I saw Gogo shaking her head every so slightly. The movement was so small that the others missed it completely, but I got the meaning at once. It’s not worth it. I didn’t need her to remind me. I reassured her slightly by leaning back against my log and letting out a relaxed sigh. I was sure that I’d come up with a solution to that particular problem. I just had to be patient and give my brain the time it needed to think it up.
-
By the end of our first full day of traveling, we’d made good time. We were about halfway to the Tyrant’s peak now. With just under another day of walking, we’d be able to pass it. Even at that distance, the massive structure was looming over us, to the point that I had to crane my head back to see the peak. The sky was clear as it could possibly be, and the jagged rock shined under the light of the suns as if it were wet.
The ground underneath us was even more damaged than the area in which we’d fought the thunder lion, for nature hadn’t managed to reach this far yet. Sure, there were some tufts of rough, dry grass that had managed to creep up, but the majority of the landscape around us was blackened dirt. Nearly five hundred years ago, Bora Bora had ascended to Divinity at the foot of the Tyrant’s Peak. His rage, chaotic power, and the force of the Divine Enchantment taking effect had scarred the land for miles.
Gogo was especially quiet as we’d eaten, and I’d caught her gazing out at the black land with a very sad expression in her eyes. She put her mask of calm indifference back on when she caught me watching, but I could guess at the thoughts running through her mind. She was a Beast-Kin, a being so steeped in natural magic that she had the features of a wolf mixed in with her human side. But apart from that, she’d been raised by followers of Grimr.
“Not pretty,” I said quietly. “But it won’t last forever. Nature always finds a way to reclaim its territory.”
“I know,” she sighed. “I just wish it worked a little faster. The druids are healing the Untamed Continent, aren’t they? And the Dagorra forest was recovered quickly. Why can’t they do the same here?”
I shrugged, but didn’t tell her the real answer. For the Dagorra Forest, Grimr himself had revived the forest after cleaning and absorbing the Corruption that had claimed it. On the Untamed Continent, there had been no life at all, so it was relatively easy for the druids to begin reclaiming the area by re-introducing the plant life that would spread. But here on the plains, the damaged land was infused with Chaos. It would require the same kind of power, combined with natural magic, to make a dent. It would be faster to just let nature reclaim it at its own pace.
“You only have to put up with it a bit longer,” I reassured her. “By the end of the week, we’ll be so close to the Dagorra Forest that you’ll practically be drowning in nature.”
Gogo smiled at that. She didn’t thank me verbally, but I knew she’d appreciated the words. “Sounds good to me.”
That night, as we made camp again and went to sleep, we were all content, even considering that we were now directly in the shadow of the mountain. The starry night sky twinkled gently down upon us, just as clear as the day had been. The air was warm, but a gentle breeze flickered across the plains, lulling me to sleep quickly. All seemed right with the world. At least, that was, until I opened my eyes to the sight of two wolves circling me once again.